Quinton de Kock has no regrets about deciding to give up the longest format of cricket, even though his decision to play in T20 leagues has left a gap in his schedule. De Kock left Tests at the end of last year, just before he became a father for the first time. He gave the reason that he wanted to spend more time at home, but that dream has not yet materialized.
In his first press appearance after quitting Tests, de Kock stated, “It hasn’t freed up my calendar – at least not this year.” “I’ve been forced to participate in a few leagues, but that’s my own fault. I’m excited to do it. I’m progressively approaching an age when I need to consider where I want to go in my profession, but it’s still a sacrifice. I’m content as long as I can complete things at my own leisure.”
De Kock had nearly two months free before a series against Bangladesh, but he has been busy ever since he returned from paternity leave to participate in South Africa’s white-ball matches against India in January. He currently resides in England, where he will also play in the CPL and The Hundred before another white-ball series in India and the T20 World Cup. He previously played for the Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL and for South Africa against India.
And he acknowledged that it’s becoming more difficult to decide what to participate in and that for many players, dropping a format is the only option. Three formats is a lot, and it appears that more games are taking place throughout the calendar, so it will start to be difficult for players, he said. “Players need to make decisions individually and if they feel they can do it [play all three formats], I am happy for them. But guys need to take decisions into their own hands. For me, I am happy where I am.”
Kock has said he will continue to play ODI cricket for the time being despite many people believing the format is slowly dying. He also wants South Africa will play more 50-over cricket. We should play more games, he suggested, but he couldn’t see where. “The [ODI] game is doing well for itself with the way players are going about it and from a batting and bowling competitiveness. There’s a future for it and a lot of us still want to win 50-over World Cups. There’s a lot to play for.”
de Kock advised younger players to keep playing all three formats, adding that it only gets harder to fit them all in as you get older or your priorities shift. “When you’re still young you need to play all three formats and get certain things done in your career,” he said. “It starts getting harder as you start getting older and the body doesn’t cooperate like it used to. It’s just a management thing.”
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