De Kock not hanging up Proteas’ bat yet

Proteas Men white-ball head coach, Rob Walter, is hopeful that Quinton de Kock will remain available to play limited-over international cricket and realise his dream of winning a World Cup as they are yet to receive an update on his T20I retirement.

De Kock hung up his bat on Tests in 2021 and ended his 50-over career at last year’s ODI World Cup. The T20 World Cup in West Indies and USA was expected to be his last T20I outing but Walter hopes there may be more to come from de Kock.

“Quinny’s an enigma. He hasn’t officially called time. So, we have that little glimmer of hope that sits in the background,” Walter said on arrival back home today.

“Quinny has very high standards for himself and has dreamed about a World Cup win for a very long time. Has had a number of knocks along the way, not least this last final, You would have seen that he was very emotional with it. Whether we see him again, time will tell.”

The Proteas next T20I series is in August against the West Indies. However, de Kock is not on CSA’s national contract list and therefore not obliged to be available for those, or any other international games.

“I’ve had no conversations with him. It wasn’t the right time after the final to have that conversation,” Walter said. “So let me leave it at saying your guess is as good as mine.”

Fortunately for Walter, the other player who seemed likely to retire, David Miller, has left no one guessing over his future.

Miller confirmed his availability for South Africa in an Instagram story when he said: “Contrary to reports, I have not retired from T20 international cricket. I will continue to be available for the Proteas. The best is yet to come.”