Back in March, during the World Cup, Quinton de Kock was, according to the national team’s coach Russell Domingo, in need of some love and care. Fast-forward five months and a big stick is being wielded in an attempt to beat De Kock back into form.
Dropped from the starting team for last week’s weather curtailed second Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka, De Kock is also out of the limited overs teams for the T20 and One-Day Internationals against New Zealand this month. In his place is 36-year-old Morné van Wyk, a move Domingo admitted yesterday was a stop-gap.
For De Kock this is a critical period in his career. He’s been seconded to the SA A team currently touring India where Domingo and the new national selection panel chaired by Linda Zondi hope he can rekindle the form that had many predicting world domination for the left hander just 18 months ago.
In 12 innings since his last century – which came in a dead-rubber against Australia in Sydney in November 2014 – De Kock has gone past 50 just once, making an unbeaten 78 against Sri Lanka in the World Cup quarter-final.
De Kock really does look like a lost little boy at the moment, with his confidence completely shattered.
“Time away from the pressures of international cricket can be beneficial particularly for a young player like Quinton,” Domingo remarked yesterday, before reeling off a list of names – including Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn and Matthew Hayden – who’d all started their international careers relatively young, were dropped and went back to domestic cricket to regain their self-belief. It is something he hopes can be replicated by De Kock.
“I’m not sure when he will be back in the SA squad. But hopefully he comes back in a good space.
“With a string of low scores comes self-doubt, a lack of belief in your performances and in the work you’re doing because the results aren’t forthcoming. Time away from the side will do him good.
“It will allow him to get some perspective and get that hunger and desire back to play for the national side.”
It has left Zondi’s panel, who announced their first squads yesterday, with a conundrum, which they want Van Wyk to solve in the short-term. Having just enjoyed a stint in the commentary box during the series against Bangladesh, Van Wyk’s inclusion is certainly a surprise. It also reflects, as Domingo mentioned, a lack of options in the wicketkeeper/batsman category, especially as that player has to be able to play in the top order.
Dane Vilas who made his Test debut in Dhaka, is not trusted fill that spot, and bringing in a ‘keeper in the lower order would leave that portion of the batting card exposed.
“You can have a wicketkeeper at six or seven if there’s an all-rounder in the top order. Now your ‘keeper has to be in the top order,” said Domingo.
Instead the lower order batting spot will go to David Wiese, whose performances for the T20 side in the last few years, especially with the ball, have been impressive. “We’ve been grappling with it for a while. To find a guy who can bowl the 10 overs – especially with JP (Duminy) not there – is very important for us. Ryan McLaren has done the job in the past; the new selection panel want to look at some other options.
“There is a Champions Trophy in two years so it does offer an opportunity to look at someone in the No7 position, which Farhaan Behardien has done in the past as did McLaren, now Wiese gets to do it.”
Duminy and Morné Morkel have been allowed paternity leave as both their wives will give birth shortly, so will miss the three ODIs.
AB de Villiers will captain the One-Day team and will keep wicket in the T20s.
The first T20 International against New Zealand will be at Kingsmead next Friday.
SA SQUADS FOR SERIES’ V NEW ZEALAND
ODI: AB de Villiers (capt), Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Aaron Phangiso, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Dale Steyn, Morné van Wyk, David Wiese
T20: Faf du Plessis (capt), Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Eddie Leie, David Miller, Morné Morkel, Aaron Phangiso, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Morné van Wyk, David Wiese - The Star