Quinton de Kock to retire from ODIs after World Cup 2023

“We understand his decision to step back from ODI cricket and we want to thank him for his service over the years,” South Africa director of cricket, Enoch Nkwe, said. “We wish him well for the future but still look forward to seeing him represent the Proteas in T20 cricket.”

Regarded as one of the best ball-strikers of the game currently, de Kock has scored 5966 runs in 140 ODIs at an average of 44.86 and a strike rate of 96.08. The attacking left-hander, who also opens the batting for South Africa in white-ball cricket, has 17 ODI centuries to his name.

Quinton de Kock has admitted that the lure of T20 league money influenced his decision to retire from ODI cricket after this year’s World Cup as he looks to “top up” his earnings as his career winds down. Although just 30 years old, de Kock has been playing professional cricket for the last 11 years, retired from Test cricket almost two years ago, and will continue playing T20 cricket, both internationally and in leagues around the world, starting with the BBL in December.

To Spend More Time With Family:

Though still a dangerous batter and lightning quick with the keeping gloves, de Kock’s decision to wind down his career comes from a desire to spend more time with his young family. He stepped away from Tests shortly before the birth of his daughter Kiara and, at the time, said he and his wife Sasha planned to “grow our family” in the coming years, and he wanted to be a present father. He has now also revealed the longest format lost its appeal for him. “It was a feeling I was getting,” he said. “I remember at the end of my Test career, I was fighting playing Test matches. I only played 50 [54] Test matches. I spoke to the people who I trust in my life, and they said if you want to, there’s no shame in it; retire so you can focus on other formats.

“I’ve been around for 10 or 11 years, and I’ve tried to keep my loyalty to the team, which I think I’ve done really well. I think I have represented the Proteas badge very well over my career, ” De Kock said.

Best Memories:

That’s why when asked for his best memories, de Kock doesn’t immediately think of his career-best ODI knock – the 178 against Australia in 2016 – but turns to events like his half-century in a Test in a Galle in 2014 as an example of his grit.

“We won in Sri Lanka one-nil, which is never an easy feat for teams not from the subcontinent,” he said, also recalling his first ODI hundred against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi and three ODIs hundreds in a row against India in 2013, which helped him make his name.

“I’ve had a lot of good memories along the way, things you can’t just forget,” he said. “The guys know I am an elephant, I don’t forget. There are things I don’t forget. I remember every last bit of detail about everything. It’s some skill I have just developed.”