Zaahier Adams
Proteas white-ball coach Rob Walter has left the ball in Quinton de Kock’s court, should the veteran opener seek a return to the international fold.
Walter remains in the exact same position regarding De Kock’s future availability as when he stated “your guess is as good as mine” in the immediate aftermath of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final in Barbados back in July.
Now speaking to the media after De Kock was again a notable omission from the Proteas 15-man squad named for coming T20I series against Ireland – the second successive absence since the T20 World Cup – Walter has made no further progress on the matter.
“I don’t know, to be dead honest,” Walter said yesterday.
“For the next little while there will be no conversations between myself and Quinny as to whether he wants to play for South Africa again. I’ve left the door open for him to approach me if and when he wants to do that. That might never happen.”
De Kock, 31, is no longer nationally contracted and has retired from both Tests and ODI’s already. There was great suspicion that De Kock might quit the Proteas altogether after the Barbados final, but nothing official has emerged related to his T20 international future as yet.
De Kock is certainly still keeping active, having played Major League Cricket in the US, and is currently in action for the Barbados Royals in the Caribbean Premier League. Walter, along with Cricket South Africa, have also shown previously that they are willing to adopt a flexible approach with regards to De Kock’s international availability.
Having learnt their lessons from AB de Villiers’ fiasco ahead of the 2019 World Cup, and accepting that the global landscape has transformed dramatically in favour of the player due to the mushrooming T20 leagues, De Kock was allowed to miss a home international series to play in Australia’s Big Bash League and still be selected for the T20 World Cup.
The result was mutually beneficial with De Kock finishing as the Proteas’ leading run scorer at the T20 World Cup. He was also the top run getter at last year’s ICC Men’s ODI World Cup in India.
“We have decided to give opportunities to some of the fringe players as well as those who have impressed in recent weeks and months.”
Walter stressed that while he is willing to let De Kock have his space for the moment, his selection for future Proteas squads will always be dependent on form.
“There might be a conversation and also that conversation does (not) initially mean it will lead to him being selected,” he said.
“We have to just allow him to have his space to play league cricket and to do what he needs to do. What will become more and more important is performance. He’s not exactly old, so from here on in, it’s a performance-based conversation."
De Kock is among a host of senior Proteas that have been rested for the white-ball tour to the United Arab Emirates, where they will face Afghanistan and Ireland in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, respectively.
White-ball head coach Rob Walter has today announced the squads for the upcoming One-Day International (ODI) series against Afghanistan and the proceeding white-ball tour against Ireland, which get underway in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) later this month.
The Proteas will… pic.twitter.com/CxqsY618Kr
After prolific returns in various T20 leagues, Ryan Rickelton will be handed another opportunity in the T20Is to show Walter that he is indeed a worthy successor to De Kock both behind and in front of the stumps after a disappointing series against the West Indies last time out.
With Heinrich Klaasen also still unavailable due to “personal reasons”, Rickelton has also been included in the ODI squad to face Ireland, but will face stiff competition from Test incumbent Kyle Verryenne, who has been named in both ODI squads to face Afghanistan and the Irish.
“We have decided to give opportunities to some of the fringe players as well as those who have impressed in recent weeks and months,” Walter said.
“This has been a deliberate move from management, in line with our goal of building a wider pool of players to choose from, as we prepare for the major ICC tournaments taking place over the next 18 months, with a long-term view on the 50-over World Cup in 2027.”
South Africa ODI squad against Afghanistan: Temba Bavuma (capt), Ottneil Baartman, Nandre Burger, Tony de Zorzi, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Nqabayomzi Peter, Andile Simelane, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne, Lizaad Williams.
South Africa T20I squad against Ireland: Aiden Markram (capt), Ottneil Baartman, Matthew Breetzke, Nandre Burger, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Patrick Kruger, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Nqaba Peter, Ryan Rickelton, Andile Simelane, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs, Lizaad Williams
South Africa ODI squad against Ireland: Temba Bavuma (capt), Ottneil Baartman, Nandre Burger, Tony de Zorzi, Bjorn Fortuin, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Nqaba Peter, Ryan Rickelton, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Lizaad Williams