30th Dec 2021 will go down as the day that Test cricket lost two very special cricketers thanks to retirements. We started off the day with news of New Zealand legendary batsman Ross Taylor announcing his retirement from all forms of international cricket, and he was active only in Tests of late. And the day ended with a South African leading batsman retiring from the longest form of the game as well.
We’re talking about wicket-keeper batsman Quinton de Kock who was part of the test team currently playing the 2021 India tour of South Africa. He was part of the home team’s loss in the 1st Test earlier today and coped a little bit of criticism on-air thanks to some loose shots he played on Day 5 when the home team was looking to be defensive and save the first Test. Soon after the loss, he announced this decision…
Quinton de Kock retires from Test cricket
Popularly referred to as QdK, he’s been an integral part of the team in recent years and has also been a part of the IPL’s Mumbai Indians franchise for a few seasons now. A huge crowd favourite around the world, de Kock scored 34 and 21 in the 1st Test and was over aggressive on the final day of play today, which led to his dismissal when his team needed an experienced head out there to support Temba Bavuma.
However, keeping all of this aside, he made a shocking decision after the match. Why shocking?! Well for one, no one saw any signs of this coming, and neither was he struggling with any fitness issues. He was set to miss the 2nd and 3rd Tests anyway for personal reasons, as he was set to head on paternity leave. However, we didn’t expect him to announce his departure from this format altogether.
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At the time of retirement, Qdk had played a total of 54 Tests where he scored 3,300 which included 22 fifties and 6 centuries, and a career best score of 141* as well. He will continue to remain available for selection in the limited overs formats and luckily, South Africa already had a replacement wicket-keeper for the rest of this particular series.
Quinton de Kock retirement statement
“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. 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. I love Test cricket and I love representing my country and all that it comes with. I’ve enjoyed the ups and the downs, the celebrations and even the disappointments, but now I’ve found something that I love even more.”
Quinton de Kock had even spent time as the temporary captain of the Test side in the past and this will be a big change for the team, which is already going through a transition phase of late. What’s worse is that the left-handed batsman is only 29 years old and you never expect such decisions so early in a career. However, we wish him the best of luck for the rest of his career!
For similar updates on cricketers from around the world and their journeys, stay tuned to ReadScoops.com…
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