Quinton de Kock (captain) of South Africa celebrates after scoring a century during the 1st ODI match between South Africa and England at Newlands Cricket Stadium on February 04, 2020 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images)
We need to talk about Quinton de Kock.
Not Quinton the player, but Quinton the captain.
When the 27-year-old was appointed the regular skipper of the Proteas’ white-ball teams, there was cautious optimism. And for the first few matches of his tenure, those positive thoughts remained intact.
The logic behind the move, at least according to Mark Boucher and the rest of his management team, is that De Kock is a cricketing sage of sorts. He might not possess a particularly dynamic media persona – in fact, he remains rather awkward – but his tactical brain is sharp.
For some teams, shrewd on-field plans count for more than being a compelling communicator.
Yet, when De Kock had to front up to the media earlier this week to explain yet another T20 series loss, this time to Australia, the stark reality of South Africa’s approach to the captaincy had been laid bare.
Smart (potential) tactical thinking doesn’t buy you a free pass from observers when those plans don’t lead to positive results. That’s the name of the game.
If you had plans, you need to communicate them later on.
De Kock is now feeling that squeeze.
When asked about how his teammates were failing him, he glumly uttered phrases such as: “I’m not sure because I’m not in the other batsmen’s minds.” Or: “It starts getting tough when you ask the boys for something and it just doesn’t happen.”
Granted, it’s unfair for any individual to have to answer for another’s sins, but sport’s team ethos means most captains try to at least dissect what might’ve gone wrong.
De Kock doesn’t do that.
He’s a free-spirited, instinctive cricketer who plays situations as he sees them. It’s what makes him the world-class player that he is.
De Kock’s been South Africa’s leading run-scorer in five of their last six series across all formats. He kind of has the right to feel peeved at having to make excuses for others.
But De Kock needs to find a way to feed a hungry cricketing fraternity. Or Boucher and co need to spare him this burden.
Heinz Schenk. Picture: Michel Bega
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