Quinton de Kock’s sudden Test retirement leaves Proteas in shambles

South African wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock announced on Thursday his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect.

The shock announcement from De Kock, 29, came just hours after he was part of the South African team beaten by 113 runs in the first Test against India at SuperSport Park.

De Kock said he remained committed to playing international limited overs cricket.

Twice named as South African Cricketer of the Year, De Kock said in a statement that he wanted to spend more time with his family.

It had already been announced he would miss the second and third Tests against India because his wife, Sasha, is about to give birth to the couple’s first child.

De Kock was embroiled in controversy during the T20 World Cup in October when he refused an order from Cricket South Africa to take the knee in support of Black Lives Matter.

The order came shortly before a match against the West Indies and it was initially announced that De Kock had withdrawn from the match for personal reasons.

After a meeting with Cricket South Africa officials, De Kock apologised and committed to the gesture for future matches although in making his apology he said he had felt his “rights were taken away” in the way the order was conveyed.

He made no mention of the incident in his 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.

“In life, you can buy almost everything except for time, and right now, it’s time to do right by the people that mean the most to me.”

De Kock was regarded as one of the most talented wicketkeeper-batsmen in the world.

He scored 3300 runs at an average of 38.82 in 54 Tests, scoring at a rate of more than 70 runs per 100 balls. He took 221 catches and made 11 stumpings.

De Kock captained his country in four Tests last season but did not look happy in the role.

In January, he questioned the sustainability of bio-secure environments as a result of Covid-19 restrictions and said “bubble life is very unsettling”.

His retirement means that only three players in the current South African squad have made Test centuries – captain Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma.

De Kock’s place in the Test team is expected to be taken by Kyle Verreynne, who made his debut as a specialist batsman during a series in the West Indies in June.

India registered first win at Centurion

India completed a convincing 113-run win on the fifth day of the first Test against South Africa at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Thursday to make a “perfect start” to the series.

Resuming on 94 for four in a chase of 305 to win, South Africa were bowled out for 191, losing their last three wickets in the first two overs after lunch.

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami took three wickets each. Fellow fast bowler Mohammed Siraj claimed two wickets and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed the last two batsmen off successive deliveries.

The win gave India a 1-0 lead in the three-match World Test Championship series and boosted their chances of winning a series in South Africa for the first time.

“We got off to the perfect start,” said Indian captain Virat Kohli. “Getting a result in four days (the second day was lost to rain) shows how well we played this Test match and how motivated and keen we were to start off in the manner we did.”

There was early resistance from South African captain Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma, with Elgar surviving a caught and bowled chance to Shami when he was on 63.

Bumrah switched to bowling around the wicket and trapped Elgar leg before wicket for 77 when the batter played around a delivery angled into his stumps.

Siraj ended an aggressive innings of 21 by Quinton de Kock when the batter edged an attempted drive into his stumps and Shami had Wiaan Mulder caught behind with a ball which moved just enough off the seam to take the outside edge of the bat.

Marco Jansen was caught behind off Shami in the first over after lunch before Ashwin wrapped up the innings, leaving Bavuma, South Africa’s top-scorer in the first innings with 52, stranded on 35.

“You need runs to compete,” said Elgar of South Africa’s first innings of 197 in reply to India’s 327.

“The basics of the game still apply and we didn’t do them well from a batting point of view.”

 India indebted to openers 

India were in command from the first day, when KL Rahul’s century enabled them to reach 272 for three after winning the toss.

Kohli said playing at Centurion, where South Africa had won 21 out of 26 previous Test matches, was always difficult for visiting teams.

“We had to be absolutely clinical with the bat, the ball and in the field,” he said.

Kohli said a key factor was the discipline shown by India’s opening batters, Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, who put on 117 for the first wicket on the first day.

“Winning the toss and batting first in tough conditions overseas is always a tough challenge. A lot of credit has to go to Mayank and KL who set up this Test match for us.”

The entire second day was lost to rain and conditions proved more difficult for batters when play resumed on the third day, with fast bowlers of both sides exploiting indentations on the pitch which caused variable bounce.

Shami took five for 44 in the first innings to give India a crucial lead of 130 runs. He finished with match figures of eight for 107.

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