DE KOCK ‘UNSURE’ ABOUT RETURNING TO PROTEAS

The South African wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock admitted he was unsure about returning to international cricket.

In 2021, De Kock retired from Test cricket to spend more time with his family.

The 32-year-old retired from One Day Internationals after the 2023 World Cup, and he stepped away from T20Is following last year’s tournament. Both decisions were based on the exhausting mental toll that the constant travel and World Cup heartbreaks took out of him.

But now, De Kock is back playing for the Proteas in the shorter version of the game.

Speaking to the Sunday Times, De Kock shared why he decided to contact Proteas coach Shukri Conrad again.

“Honestly, I just wanted to get back and win games for the Proteas again – that’s pretty much what it comes down to. There’s nothing else to it.

“But I was very unsure – if I should or not.”

“I was pretty tired of being a Protea at that stage,” he said. “I’ve been playing with the Proteas for over a decade. All the travel and representing my country – it kind of broke me.

“Mentally, it took a toll on me. It’s tough dealing with losses when expectations are so high. Eventually, I decided, I don’t know if I can carry on doing this.”

For now, De Kock is taking it day by day.

“I haven’t really thought about the 2027 World Cup, or even next year’s T20 World Cup. I’m just trying to figure out how I’ll score runs in the next series. I’m taking it one step at a time.”

Image credit: The Citizen