Quinton de Kock
South Africa's wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock announces retirement from Test cricket
Centurion: South Africa's wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock has announced his decision to retire from Test cricket with immediate effect.
The announcement comes after the Proteas’ first Betway Test match against India in Centurion, where the visitors won by 113 runs and took a one-nil lead in the three-match series.
De Kock has cited his intentions to spend more time with his growing family for the timing and reason for his relatively early retirement from the format.
He and his wife, Sasha, are anticipating the imminent birth of their first-born child in the coming days.
Twenty-nine-year-old De Kock made his Proteas Test debut against Australia in Gqeberha in 2014.
In 54 matches, he amassed 3 300 runs with a high score of 141 not-out, at an average of 38.82 and strike rate of 70.93. He also has six centuries and 22 half-centuries under his belt.
The former Test captain’s talent as a wicket-keeper set him apart on the world stage, with 232 dismissals, including 221 catches and 11 stumpings.
De Kock has also taken the third-most catches in the inaugural ICC World Test Championship – 48 in 11 matches (47 catches and 1 stumping) and has a personal best of six dismissals in an innings, against England in Centurion in 2019.
He said in a 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."
He said: "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."
Cricket South Africa (CSA) Acting CEO, Pholetsi Moseki congratulated De Kock on an exemplary career. He said, "It’s sad to lose a player of Quinton’s calibre at what we still see as the prime of his career and relatively young life, but family, as we all say here at CSA, is everything. He has been a loyal and proud servant of the Proteas team for the last seven years and we are glad that we have not lost him from the game entirely."
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