By Khushi Namdev
South African wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock has officially reversed his decision to retire from the 50-over format. The left-handed batsman made this decision ahead of the upcoming Pakistan tour, scheduled for October and November.
The Proteas batter has been named in the white-ball squad for the tour of Pakistan. He quit the ODI internationals in 2023 after scoring more than six thousand runs across 150-plus matches.
The 2027 ODI men’s cricket World Cup will be hosted by Zimbabwe, Namibia, and South Africa, which offers South Africa an advantage in terms of international cricket exposure, given the influence it already holds in franchise cricket.
Shukri Conrad, the South African men’s team coach for the tour of Pakistan, said that ‘the decision to reverse Quinton’s retirement and his return is a major boost for us”. He added that the player still has strong ambitions to represent his nation, and the quality and skills that he brings can only benefit the team.
The upcoming tour will be his first of the year, as he has only played T20 leagues like the SA20 in South Africa, the Indian Premier League, and the Caribbean Premier League. At 32, he has been one of the finest batters with 21 centuries, and only Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have scored more ODI centuries than him.
The left-hander hinted, while retiring from the ODI format, that he could be tempted to play in the 2027 World Cup in his homeland. He mentioned that he does not foresee any such situation but acknowledged that strange things happen in life, so it could be a possibility.
South Africa will play two Tests, three ODIs, and three T20s in Pakistan starting on 12 October. Aiden Markram will lead the side in the tests as injured captain Temba Bavuma misses the tour since the World Test Championship win. The T20s and ODIs of this tour will be led by David Miller and Matthew Bretzke, respectively.