Proteas wicketkeeper-batter Quinton De Kock displayed his sheer batting prowess last night (December 11) during the IND vs SA 2nd T20I, smashing a whirlwind 90(46), comprising five boundaries and seven maximums.
The left-hander, who made a return to the South Africa white-ball squads from his retirement last month, has rediscovered a rejuvenated form. Notably, he had called it quits in ODIs following the 2023 World Cup and didn’t feature in a T20I since the Men’s World Cup in 2024.
De Kock has recently looked brilliant in the India series, where he smashed a scintillating century during the three-match ODI leg before narrowly falling short of another yesterday. Speaking about his recent show, the 32-year-old veteran opened up on how taking the break helped him bring his ‘hunger back’.
He said after the match-winning knock in Mullanpur, “I think prior to my retirement, I was losing my hunger to win games for this team, specifically for the Proteas. And that time away just brought back my hunger.”
Quinny also added, “I think it was just time away from the international stage. It wasn’t a decision that I just woke up and had. I think over time, the longer break I had, the more I felt ready to come back. I had already played international cricket for more than a decade. That was pretty much it. I think when I left, I was quite exhausted from international cricket.”
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QdK is definitely in contention for a spot in the Proteas squad since his promising show after his return. Also with the ICC event slated to be held in India and Sri Lanka, Quinton’s recent form in the subcontinent and his prior IPL experience can back his case for selection.
However, there are a few concerns that the Proteas management needs to navigate. Firstly, Quinton de Kock initially had a slow return to the T20Is where he had five quiet outings – one against Namibia followed by three in Pakistan, and a duck in the opener against India in Cuttack before finding his rhythm.
Secondly, the Proteas have tried six different batters at the top of their order – Reeza Hendricks, Ryan Rickelton, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Rassie van der Dussen, Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram.
With Markram being the skipper, he has a fixed spot with Rickelton, Reeza, and De Kock being the other likely names to pair him. They will need to stick to a decision soon and back it with not much time left for the T20 World Cup 2026, slated to begin from February 7.
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