Former South African pacer Dale Steyn expressed his disappointment to see wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock continuing to bat after reaching his half-century against New Zealand in the 2023 World Cup warm-up game in Thiruvananthapuram.
The left-handed opener struggled to get going in the middle and appeared to be having some trouble in batting, which left many perplexed as to why the proteas didn’t call him back given that it was only a warm-up game and the opener expected to play a vital for the South Africa in the World Cup alongside his skipper Temba Bavuma at the top of the order.
Taking X handle, Dale Steyn was baffled by the tactics of South African team management to continue playing Quinton de Kock as it was only a warm-up game ahead of the ODI World Cup in the country.
Umm, why is QDK still batting???
Warm up game, get him off
— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) October 2, 2023
“Umm, why is QDK still batting??? Warm-up game, get him off,” Dale Steyn Wrote on his X handle.
After the minutes of Dale Steyn post in his handle, the match in Thiruvananthapuram was halted by rain and due to the DLS method, the Kiwis ultimately prevailed by seven runs, with South Africa scoring 211/4 after 37 overs in the match with Quinton de Kock remaining unbeaten on 84 off 89 balls.
I Would Like To Tick Off An ICC Event – Quinton de Kock
Quinton de Kock, who has already announced his retirement from ODI cricket post the 50-over World Cup in India, has expressed his aspiration to win an ICC title for his country at the highest level and wishes to have a different life once he stops playing the game.
“I’ve played a lot of cricket already. I’ll give the World Cup my best shot. I would like to tick off an ICC event. I don’t see myself being involved in the game in any way when I stop playing. I want a life after cricket,” Quinton de Kock said.
De Kock made his ODI debut in 2013 and has since enjoyed a successful career. In 145 games, he has amassed 6176 runs at an excellent average of 44.75, including 17 hundreds.
Besides, after the first Test of the series against India, the left-handed opener announced his retirement from Test cricket in December 2021, citing a desire to spend more time with his family and the proteas wicket-keeper batter is expected to play for South Africa in T20 cricket for few more years.