Quinton de Kock has retired from test cricket

[_00_deathscar]

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...

They could at least start by figuring out how to make test match cricket more lucrative?

 

[Daemon]

They could at least start by figuring out how to make test match cricket more lucrative?

enter @Lokomotiv

 

[Victor Ian]

You spend more time with your family by making more money with less work. All the best QDK.

 

[Bahseph]

Going to miss him for sure. Yeah there were plenty of disappointing Test knocks but when he was out there you knew he could win a game for SA by himself.

@StephenZA described it best,I just don't think the bloke is up to it. I feel like we have tried to attach deeper meaning to some of his actions but in all honesty he is a "what you see is what you get" kinda guy. He is a few years older than I am and if I could reduce my workload to be with my family I'd do it if I'm still going to be earning good money.

Smith and Boucher will try to keep him on though. I just hope they don't set a dangerous precedent by allowing him to pick and choose when he plays Tests.

 

[Heboric]

Oh well.

Warner was right about him, as he was Root.

Only regret for QDK is not decking that odious Warner in the stairwell ??

 

[vicleggie]

Oh well.

Warner was right about him, as he was Root.

What, that he's a Bushpig?

 

[Woodster]

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.

Saying he’s great?? Think my original comment was that he had a decent record, but if that qualifies as great, that’s your call.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Saying he’s great?? Think my original comment was that he had a decent record, but if that qualifies as great, that’s your call.

you're still not getting it lol dw

 

[Tom Flint]

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

I think I would say that to a boss. Give him chance to match or better the new salary

 

[Spark]

Saying he’s great?? Think my original comment was that he had a decent record, but if that qualifies as great, that’s your call.

He's saying that saying that he deserves credit for his home conditions being unusually difficult is inaccurate because, relatively speaking, they weren't.

 

[StephenZA]

Saying that SA is the most difficult place to bat in the world is not wrong in general, while also acknowledging being in home conditions, for most players, and for many different reasons gives home players an advantage. Hence why since 1994 to date their is only one SA batsmen that has avg above 50 since readmission (not including Morkels one match!). While most other countries have many.

 

[Spark]

Saying that SA is the most difficult place to bat in the world is not wrong in general, while also acknowledging being in home conditions, for most players, and for many different reasons gives home players an advantage. Hence why since 1994 to date their is only one SA batsmen that has avg above 50 since readmission (not including Morkels one match!). While most other countries have many.

In general yeah but the last few years, when QDK has played, have been difficult to bat just about everywhere. SA now doesn't stand out at all in that front. It's just another really hard place to bat in a Test environment full of really hard places to bat. Even Australia is bloody difficult to bat in a lot of the time, imagine saying that in 2016.

 

[StephenZA]

In general yeah but the last few years, when QDK has played, have been difficult to bat just about everywhere. SA now doesn't stand out at all in that front. It's just another really hard place to bat in a Test environment full of really hard places to bat. Even Australia is bloody difficult to bat in a lot of the time, imagine saying that in 2016.

Its most definitely changed, and for the better. But still think in general SA is a place that offers the most various conditions and also the best opportunity for all types of bowling. And still is the most difficult to bat in. Its one of the reasons why SA is not quite a stronghold for the team, good or bad. Subcontinent teams will find places they like in SA, and obviously Australian/Eng teams will find the pace and movement they want at others. I don't think there is a place in Australia like Port Elizabeth, St Georges. Could be wrong, but have not seen it.

 

[Heboric]

Its most definitely changed, and for the better. But still think in general SA is a place that offers the most various conditions and also the best opportunity for all types of bowling. And still is the most difficult to bat in. Its one of the reasons why SA is not quite a stronghold for the team, good or bad. Subcontinent teams will find places they like in SA, and obviously Australian/Eng teams will find the pace and movement they want at others. I don't think there is a place in Australia like Port Elizabeth, St Georges. Could be wrong, but have not seen it.

In the early days, even when Darrell "Trigger Finger" Hair was still around, playing in Sydney against Warne and MacGill was really bad for us. We would do okayish in other venues

 

[honestbharani]

I think it is pretty obvious that even if batting has been hard across the world from around 2016, RSA has continued to still be one of the hardest. And Qdk has been playing since what, 2014? So yeah, I think it is to his credit that he averages as much as he does playing a majority of his games in these conditions.

 

[Spark]

The pre-D/N Adelaide wasn't too dissimilar from PE from what I recall. Maybe not quite as slow. The MCG before the last two summers possibly as well.

 

[honestbharani]

One thing I will say about batting in RSA in this past decade is that while there are phases of the game when it goes quick and batsmen can score at very good clips, I dont think I have ever seen a session where it feels the batsmen are in total control which has happened in most other countries, including even England (where te use of the dukes means it can at times be even worse than RSA for batsmen) quite a few times even in the post CEO pitches world.

 

[Spark]

Some of the pitches in the series we've had in SA have occasionally been pretty flat tbf. Cape Town 2014 when Clarke batted for a day with a cracked collarbone comes to mind, that was a pretty batting-friendly pitch. Slightly outside the time window but the pitches in 2009 were mostly quite flat too.

 

[honestbharani]

Some of the pitches in the series we've had in SA have occasionally been pretty flat tbf. Cape Town 2014 when Clarke batted for a day with a cracked collarbone comes to mind, that was a pretty batting-friendly pitch. Slightly outside the time window but the pitches in 2009 were mostly quite flat too.

Makes sense. I did not watch that test but yes, among the tracks there, not surprised Cape Town is the one to have had a game like that.

 

[Apex Predator]

Playing on Highveld is different. Sri lanka won on relatively slower venues in Durban & PE in 2018 but as soon as they got to play in Centurion & Joburg... SA completely destroyed them in 2020.

I think SA has to be clever about where they host games against visiting sides. India/Pak/SL should always play at Highveld. They can vary that against Eng/Aus by hosting games in Durban & PE & I don't mind even those secondary venues. Durban anyways traditionally hosted Boxing day tests.. New year's test in Cape town.
Don't host Australia in Joburg.