Won’t be a long-term Test skipper for the Proteas, affirms Quinton de Kock
Quinton de Kock's role as a captain is a short-term role
|Getty
After being named as SA’s Test skipper, Quinton de Kock has affirmed that he won’t be a long-term Test skipper for the national side and stated that the decision was a short-term one. He also stated that while he wouldn’t have kept wickets against England in ODIs, he will keep wickets against SL.
While several candidates emerged to take over the leadership of the Test format for the Proteas, none really materialized which prompted Cricket South Africa to go back to their limited-overs skipper Quinton de Kock with the additional responsibility. The wicketkeeper-batsman who had already made his intentions clear regarding the Test duties had no other option but to become the leader of the side for the immediate future, starting with the Sri Lanka series.
Now following the decision from the board, the left-handed batsman has opened up on the appointment stating that he won’t be a long-term skipper for the Proteas in the longest format. He also insisted that the decision to appoint him as the skipper stemmed from the fact that the other players weren’t willing to stand up and take the responsibility.
"When they (the selectors) told me the situation that we were in, I understood where they were coming from. Obviously, I didn't accept it immediately. I did think about it and I understood, it's just for now. For this season. It's not a long-term thing," de Kock said, reported ESPNCricinfo.
“It's just when we get someone who really puts up their hand, they will take over. The guys are looking for a long-term leadership role. I won't be doing that. There does seem a lot on my plate but I am quite happy to do it for now," he adequately explained.
With 17 matches for South Africa in this cricketing season, it might end as one of the most stressful years for Quinton de Kock as the captain of the national side across formats. While there were reports that 28-year-old wouldn’t have kept wickets against England earlier in the ODI series - de Kock confirmed the same and stated that it was an opportunity to test the other wicketkeepers in the country. However, for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka, de Kock confirmed his availability as the wicketkeeper.
"I am going to keep wicket. I wasn't going to keep in the ODIs against England. We were going to give someone else a chance and now that I am looking after the Test team, we are looking at ways to get a lot of things off my shoulders. But in Test cricket, I need to be there as keeper."
However, for South Africa, there will plenty of questions before the series opener on Boxing Day, with a young team. While their opening pair is not yet decided, the host of youngsters in the squad would be aiming to push their case above the well-placed veterans.
"We've got a young team. We need our younger guys to come through and learn fast so we can have a structured team. That's what I would hope for for this season - for the new guys to come in and start scoring runs and putting up their hands," he said.
