South Africa wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock has announced his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect. The shocking announcement came hours after India defeated the Proteas by 113 runs in the Boxing-Day Test at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Thursday.
In a statement released by Cricket South Africa (CSA), De Kock said he intends to spend more time with his family.
“This is not a decision that I have come to very easily. I have taken a lot of time to think about what my future looks like and what needs to take priority in my life now that Sasha and I are about to welcome our first child into this world and look to grow our family beyond that. My family is everything to me, and I want to have the time and space to be able to be with them during this new and exciting chapter of our lives,” said De Kock.
Notably, De Kock made his Test debut against Australia in Port Elizabeth in February 2014. He has played 54 Tests, scoring 3300 runs at an average of 38.82 with six hundreds and 22 half-centuries. While being a wicketkeeper in the longest format, De Kock accounted for 232 dismissals, including 221 catches and 11 stumpings.
De Kock made it clear that he will continue playing white-ball cricket for South Africa and wished good luck to his teammates for the remainder of the ongoing Test leg against India.
“This is not the end of my career as a Protea, I’m fully committed to white-ball cricket and representing my country to the best of my ability for the foreseeable future. All the best to my teammates for the remainder of this Test series against India,” added De Kock.