The 29-year-old Quinton de Kock retired abruptly from Test cricket leaving many of his fans shell shocked. He started the year as Test captain as South Africa toured Pakistan. By the time the year ended, he had made up his mind to leave the longest format of the game for good. So, after playing the first Test match against India, he made his decision public. This caused a lot of drama as former cricketers mentioned how ICC have to step in or more and more cricketers will behave like QDK, leaving Test cricket at their prime.
Also Read | Quinton de Kock’s Test Retirement Crippled South African Batting: Hashim Amla
Now, former Pak cricketer, and accused of match-fixing, Salman Butt has reacted to De Kock’s decision very strongly. “Quinton de Kock had been playing strange cricket for the last year and a half. He came to Pakistan as captain but did not continue in the role afterwards. Now, after playing one Test, he has announced his (Test) retirement. Such things spoil the team’s balance, the selection policy and affect the captain’s mindset,” said Butt in a video posted on his YouTube channel.
Also Read | ‘Priorities Have Changed’-Ex-Protea Star Says More Will Follow Quinton de Kock
“Players have made sudden retirement a drama. Don’t you think of family when you play overseas leagues for nearly 2 months? Why is it that only Test cricket comes in the way? You are playing cricket in your own country in South Africa. This lack of interest is related to league cricket,” he added.
The 29-year-old featured in 54 Tests, in which he amassed 3300 runs batting at an average of 38.82.
Meanwhile, former Protea batter Hashim Amla also sounded concerned as he mentioned how De Kock’s decision has left the batting line up crippled. “Our two best batters in the middle are Temba (Bavuma) and Quinton.”
“Now that Quinton has opted out of Test cricket, this cripples the batting line-up further and, now more than ever, it makes it imperative for Temba to bat higher – be it three or four, allow him time to play a solidifying role as opposed to a recovery one,” Amla was quoted as saying by Sport24.
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