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In a shocking development from world of cricket, South Africa's wicketkeeper batsman, Quinton de Kock has announced his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect following his side's loss to India in Centurion on Thursday. The 29-year-old has notably taken this decision as he wishes to spend more time with his family.
This is not the end of my career as a Protea: Quinton de Kock
In a statement released by Cricket South Africa, de Kock stated, "This is not a decision that I have come to very easily. I have taken a lot of time to think about what my future looks like and what needs to take priority in my life now that Sasha and I are about to welcome our first child into this world and look to grow our family beyond that. My family is everything to me and I want to have the time and space to be able to be with them during this new and exciting chapter of our lives."
He added, "I love Test cricket and I love representing my country and all that it comes with. I’ve enjoyed the ups and the downs, the celebrations and even the disappointments, but now I’ve found something that I love even more. In life, you can buy almost everything except for time, and right now, it’s time to do right by the people that mean the most to me."
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been a part of my Test cricket journey from the very beginning. To my coaches, team mates, the various management teams and my family and friends – I couldn’t have shown up as I did without your support. This is not the end of my career as a Protea, I’m fully committed to white ball cricket and representing my country to the best of my ability for the foreseeable future," he further stated.
Towards the end, de Kock wished luck to his teammates for the remainder of Test series against India before confirming that he will back for white-ball cricket.