Quinton de Kock wonât be Test captain, reveals Graeme Smith
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Cricket South Africaâs newly appointed Director Graeme Smith has made it clear that Quinton de Kock wonât be the Test captain while the management hasnât zeroed in on the candidates. After Faf du Plessis stepped down as captain of all formats, de Kock was named the limited-overs skipper.
In the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, all cricket has been postponed and hence the time of South Africaâs next Test rubber is uncertain. But by then, Cricket South Africa would have to make a decision on whom to bestow the captaincy responsibilities of the longest format. On Friday, Graeme Smith was appointed as the Director of CSA on a permanent basis.
And the former captain revealed that even though they havenât selected someone for the Test captaincy position yet, it certainly wouldnât be Quinton de Kock. The wicketkeeper-batsman is already their white-ball captain since Faf du Plessis had stepped down in February this year. Since then, the Test captaincy post has been vacant.
"The one definitive answer that I can give you is that it's not going to be Quinton. I can't tell you who it's going to be. We're in a debate over it, and a strategy. There's no one person we could pinpoint right now and say that's the guy. There are a lot of players on a similar level. The challenge, when we do play some cricket, will be to see who steps out and escalates themselves into really consistent performers,â Smith revealed in a press conference on Friday.Â
"We've got to understand the personalities. We've got to look at the people; maybe take a risk on someone, potentially, and back them, try to understand who's got some credibility within the environment a leadership perspective and respect. Coming from a person a risk was taken on, it is something that we would certainly consider. Quinton will be our white-ball captain. He won't be the Test captain."
Smith was only 22, without any prior captaincy experience in first-class cricket, when he was appointed the captain of the South Africa team. The CSA director does not want to burden de Kock, who has primary batting and keeping responsibilities, to be burdened with Test captaincy as well.Â
"We want to keep Quinton fresh and playing well. We felt that to burden him, from a mental and workload capacity, with all three formats wouldn't be beneficial for us. And the style of player and personality he is - we want to keep him as expressive as possible."
