Quinton de Kock announces retirement from Test cricket

PTI, Dec 31, 2021, 9:35 AM IST

South Africa’s star wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock on Thursday announced his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect, said the country’s apex body, CSA, hours after the team’s defeat in the first Test against India.

A former Test captain, De Kock is only 29 and it is believed that he will continue playing in the white-ball formats for the Proteas, with a lot of focus on franchise-based T20 leagues.

“De Kock has cited his intentions to spend more time with his growing family for the timing and reason for his relatively early retirement from the format. He and his wife, Sasha, are anticipating the imminent birth of their first-born child in the coming days,” Cricket South Africa (CSA) said in a statement.

On his part, the player said that it wasn’t an easy decision.

“This is not a decision that I have come to very easily. I have taken a lot of time to think about what my future looks like and what needs to take priority in my life now that Sasha and I are about to welcome our first child into this world and look to grow our family beyond that,” De Kock said.

“My family is everything to me and I want to have the time and space to be able to be with them during this new and exciting chapter of our lives.”

De Kock made his Proteas Test debut against Australia in Gqeberha in 2014. In 54 matches, he scored 3300 runs with a highest score of 141 not out, at an average of 38.82 and strike rate of 70.93.

He has six centuries and 22 half-centuries under his belt along with 232 dismissals, which includes 221 catches and 11 stumpings.

De Kock has also taken the third-most number of catches in the inaugural ICC World Test Championship – 48 in 11 matches (47 catches and 1 stumping) and has a personal best of six dismissals in an innings, against England in Centurion in 2019.

South Africa lost the opening Test to India by 113 runs in Centurion.