Former Proteas all-rounder Chris Morris is confident Quinton de Kock will still be an asset to South Africa after the aggressive wicketkeeper-batsman announced his decision to return to international cricket recently.
De Kock made a quiet return to the team over the weekend, in a low-profile one-off T20 International clash against Namibia in Windhoek.
De Kock assumed his position as opener for the innings and promptly departed for one in the first over.
South Africa would go on to make just 134/8, as the hosts won by four wickets off the final delivery of the match.
Quinton de Kock’s Return: A Boost for South Africa’s Cricket Squad
“At the end of the day, Quinton’s a world-class player, so I’m very happy to have him back. I wouldn’t say it was strange, because I think Quinton had his mind made up quite early,” Morris told SportsBoom.co.za in an exclusive interview.
De Kock last played for South Africa in June last year in the T20 World Cup final against India. After that, De Kock announced his shock decision to retire from international cricket, having previously already called time on his Test career.
“For him to come back, I thought it was a good thing for us. I think with a guy like Heinrich Klaasen that’s missing in the middle now, you almost need an experienced batter up at the top, and he’s the guy that will provide that.”
“I think he’s going to go out there and obviously try to prove a point, because he’s coming out of retirement and people are going to be asking, there’s going to be question marks around him.”
De Kock has been included in the Proteas squad for their limited overs series against hosts Pakistan later this month. The T20 World Cup will be held in India and Sri Lanka next year, and South Africa will co-host the 50-over World Cup in 2027.
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