Quinton de Kock’s favourite word is “hey”. But hey, when he bats, you tend to sit up and take notice, as he plays with the freedom we all love to see.
And the Proteas wicket-keeper is as carefree off the field as he is on it. Asked at Newlands on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s T20 finale against Australia (6pm start) about the type of strategy he employs when batting with AB de Villiers at the top of the order, De Kock’s response doesn’t surprise.
There’s no real master plan. “I don’t know hey – we just say to each other, we just walk out and say ‘Okay, let’s try to get off to a good start’. It doesn’t matter who takes it. If we both go at it, then so be it. If one of us gets out early, then we’ll just carry on. I guess that’s nice like that, nice and aggressive,” De Kock said.
“But ja, I don’t know… It changes hey. Even Hash (Amla) can also play very aggressive, as you saw the other day.”
There have been calls for the Proteas to include Amla as an opener alongside De Kock, with De Villiers possibly batting at No 4 to strengthen a middle-order that has largely battled in the first two matches. De Villiers himself has struggled with the new ball as well, getting out for a first-ball duck in Durban and just 13 in Johannesburg.
But captain Faf du Plessis is adamant that De Villiers is the best bet upfront in Indian conditions, which means it’s a straight choice between De Kock and Amla at the other end, or the wicket-keeper dropping down the order.
De Kock, though, is not too caught up in that debate. “I don’t know hey! We’ll just see how things go. I haven’t been there (middle-order) in a while, but I always have a look, assess out, make sure the strike-rate is 100 percent, and then at the time it’s needed, have a go,” he said. “But if it comes my way, so be it – I will try to get the job done, hey.”
“No, not really (in competition with Amla). Either way, whoever gets into that position will just do what’s best and needed for the team. Try and win a World Cup, for once. So, there’s not much competition, me and him – no beef. There’s nothing like that.”
The 23-year-old sports a fresh haircut as he addressed the media, and he has also brought a fresh vibe to the Proteas set-up which had in bygone eras been seen as a conservative bunch.
That’s certainly not the case under coach Russell Domingo, who encourages the players to express themselves on the field, which has seen De Kock smash 10 ODI hundreds in just 57 matches at an average of 42.94.
His eight Tests have yielded a single ton at an average of 45.22, so it’s just in the shortest format where he can improve his record significantly.
De Kock has opened the batting for all but three of his 24 matches, and his highest score is just 48 not out. So, let alone hundreds, he needs to get past the half-century mark if he is to make a maximum impact – at Newlands on Wednesday and in the upcoming ICC World T20 in India.
“It’s not something I’ve thought about, but if I do get one (hundred), it will be nice. It is one of my career goals to have a century in each format, so if it comes my way, then happy days!” the left-hander said.
“It’s just another game to me. Another tournament. Hopefully I do well. Obviously I feel good lately, so just have to take into the tournament and do well.”
* Follow @IndyCapeSport on Twitter for live updates of the final T20 international between South Africa and Australia at Newlands. Play starts at 6pm on Wednesday.
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