Quinton de Kock has retired from test cricket

[Victor Ian]

Quinton de Kock announces sudden retirement from Tests

Quinton de Kock announces sudden retirement from Tests

He wants to spend more time with his growing family as he and his wife expect their first child in the coming days

www.espncricinfo.com

You really can't knock a player who loves to talk with rhinos.

showed his support for rhino conversation.

 

[Niall]

This was a big shock. Let's see how much t20's he plays during "family time".

https://cricket.co.za/2021/12/30/quinton-de-kock-announces-retirement-from-test-cricket/?s=09

South Africa board are pretty cool aren't they regarding domestic t20 events so he could have easily played the IPL and one or two others while representing SA in test cricket.

Unless he gives a very candid interview , we can merely speculate,,,covid life with a kid on its way, stuff behind the scenes etc probably played a part.

I dunno the south africa test schedule, but its pretty uneventful last few years sadly,......... bar England, India and Australia their isn't many glamour test series for him to look forward to and obviously the baby on its way has ruled him out of the current India series.

 

[honestbharani]

I am not too sure we should throw shades about the knee thing at him just as yet. He has said he will continue in LO formats and they are gonna be taking the knee in those games too. I think he is not the kinda guy who can spend too much time in bubbles etc and is also trying to maximize his income which probably could be more as a T20 mercenery plus white ball games for RSA than being a fully contracted RSA player. Its sad it has come to this but this seems to be the modern way. Good luck to him and thanks for all the entertainment he has provided as a test player.

 

[the big bambino]

Are SA cricketers just pissed with South African board or something? So many retirements, many seemingly premature

You might have something there though hard to imagine what.

 

[Stefan9]

South Africa board are pretty cool aren't they regarding domestic t20 events so he could have easily played the IPL and one or two others while representing SA in test cricket.

Unless he gives a very candid interview , we can merely speculate,,,covid life with a kid on its way, stuff behind the scenes etc probably played a part.

I dunno the south africa test schedule, but its pretty uneventful last few years sadly,......... bar England, India and Australia their isn't many glamour test series for him to look forward to and obviously the baby on its way has ruled him out of the current India series.

They are cool regarding IPL, agreement not to scheduleSA games during that time. Rest depends whether it clashes with SA tours.

 

[cnerd123]

I do think if he wanted to cut down the quantity of cricket he's playing in order to spend more time with family, then retiring from Tests makes the most sense.

A) It's the most physically demanding format, and we saw him wince in pain several times this last test in India
B) Franchise T20 pays a lot more
C) Continue to play for SA in white ball formats keeps him relevant for Franchise T20 gigs

It is disappointing to see such a talented player who should be approaching his peak decide to pack it in tho. This is something for the major cricket boards to address - how to keep the Test format lucrative and appealing enough to retain talent.

Ofc that would require cricket boards to have leadership that actually loved Test cricket and had a vision for it, rather than being guided by whatever makes the quickest buck, but hey ho such is the way things go...

 

[OverratedSanity]

I do think if he wanted to cut down the quantity of cricket he's playing in order to spend more time with family, then retiring from Tests makes the most sense.

A) It's the most physically demanding format, and we saw him wince in pain several times this last test in India
B) Franchise T20 pays a lot more
C) Continue to play for SA in white ball formats keeps him relevant for Franchise T20 gigs

It is disappointing to see such a talented player who should be approaching his peak decide to pack it in tho. This is something for the major cricket boards to address - how to keep the Test format lucrative and appealing enough to retain talent.

Ofc that would require cricket boards to have leadership that actually loved Test cricket and had a vision for it, rather than being guided by whatever makes the quickest buck, but hey ho such is the way things go...

Temba just complained (rightly) that they only play like 4 tests a year. This isn't some massive workload.

 

[duffer]

Oh well.

Warner was right about him, as he was Root.

Toppest of blokes is our Davey.

 

[cnerd123]

Temba just complained (rightly) that they only play like 4 tests a year. This isn't some massive workload.

true but if he did want to cut something out of his schedule then it makes sense why it would be Tests. Different skill set, harsher demands on his body, not that much more income from it.

 

[sunilz]

It is quite clear CSA pays very less to SA cricketers as compared to various T20 leagues. So won't fault players for maximising their earning potential.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

So in 6-7 months Watling, Paine, and De Kock have all finished their test careers for different reasons.

 

[TheJediBrah]

So in 6-7 months Watling, Paine, and De Kock have all finished their test careers for different reasons.

Paine's reason was de kock and de kock's reason was (back) paine

 

[Daemon]

Temba just complained (rightly) that they only play like 4 tests a year. This isn't some massive workload.

tbh this is exactly why you'd choose to drop tests imo.

If you're barely playing any, is it really worth the time and effort to train for it? The results you reap are few and far between. It's also more physically demanding. Your Income is also lower.

If he had to drop something, might as well drop the one he's not playing much and not earning much from.

 

[OverratedSanity]

tbh this is exactly why you'd choose to drop tests imo.

If you're barely playing any, is it really worth the time and effort to train for it? The results you reap are few and far between. It's also more physically demanding. Your Income is also lower.

If he had to drop something, might as well drop the one he's not playing much and not earning much from.

Sure but then dont say I'm quitting to spend more time with my family. No one's buying that. They barely play the format ffs.

Financially it obviously makes sense.

 

[Daemon]

Sure but then dont say I'm quitting to spend more time with my family. No one's buying that. They barely play the format ffs.

Financially it obviously makes sense.

You really expect the man to say I'm quitting because it's not lucrative enough

Is that what you tell your boss when you hand him the resignation letter or is it some **** about new opportunities to see myself grow

 

[Woodster]

I don't know how on earth you can look at Indian and SL pitches in the last three or four years or so and think "ah yes, runfests"

I think if you look across the board from when QdK made his Test debut in 2014, the average for batsmen are higher in both those countries than in SA, but I’m happy to be proved wrong.

 

[Coronis]

You really expect the man to say I'm quitting because it's not lucrative enough

Is that what you tell your boss when you hand him the resignation letter or is it some **** about new opportunities to see myself grow

Depends on the boss, really.

 

[TheJediBrah]

I think if you look across the board from when QdK made his Test debut in 2014, the average for batsmen are higher in both those countries than in SA, but I’m happy to be proved wrong.

Ok but you get the irony of saying he's great because he plays his home games in a country that's hard for batsmen when he averages more in SA than he does outside of SA. So batting in SA was easier for him than playing away.

 

[StephenZA]

I was shocked when I heard the news, but thinking about it it does not surprise me that much. He was always a reluctant spotlight player. This would have been about the third time he become unavailable during a tour for personal/family reasons, it was relatively consistent, many times he was not happy. I do not think that QDK was happy within the current team environment, not because it is necessarily bad in itself, but because it is under pressure as we rebuild. He was given the captaincy at beginning of year reluctantly and then almost immediately let it go. I do not think he could cope mentally with it. An example is the taking the knee thing and how people reacted and have continued to react afterwards. Clearly not understanding, or willing to understand the man at all. Obviously he will take the IPL contract because it is 'comparatively' obscene amounts of money for little work.

This is the SA coming tour. If that holds it is pretty non-stop. At least for next year or so. Even the LO stuff. See how much he actually plays.

South africa Cricket Team Future Tour Programs (FTP) Schedule

As sad as it is to see him go, there is enough SA wicketkeeper/batsmen knocking on the door that SA should more than make do. I will not be surprised if Smith and Boucher try to convince him to stay though.

 

[_00_deathscar]

A lot of the decks in SA have a bit of something in it, they’re not like playing on absolutely run fests in the sub-continent for example.

When is this?