De Kock’s feet need fluency
Out-of-form opener could benefit by being given a break from ODI action
IN PUBLIC he will receive the backing of his coach. In public he will receive the support of his captain and teammates. They will say all the right things, that he is still only 22 years old, that he is still maturing, and that he will still develop into the superstar we all know he will ultimately become.
But behind closed doors and in the privacy of the changeroom, Proteas coach Russell Domingo and stand- in one- day international captain Hashim Amla will be growing increasingly worried about when Quinton de Kock is going to rediscover the form that once saw the precociously talented youngster strike a hat-trick of centuries against then-world champions India.
De Kock has scored two further ODI tons since that dream start to his international career two years ago, but the last one – against Australia in Sydney – came eight months and 11 innings ago. Former national selection convenor Andrew Hudson and his panel stuck blindly with De Kock when the left-hander endured a horrible run during the group stages of the World Cup in Australasia.
It was not only the fact that the scoreboard made for miserable reading with scores of 4, 7, 7, 12, 1, 0 and 26 but more due to the fact that with every failure De Kock's confidence seemed to take a battering. His presence at the crease was also diminishing and he looked increasingly like a boy playing with men.
At the time Domingo insisted that all the former KES schoolboy required was “a bit of love, attention and affection” and that he remained a match-winner for the Proteas. That was ultimately proved true with De Kock silencing his critics with an undefeated 78 in South Africa’s crushing quarter-final victory over Sri Lanka at the SCG.
The joy was short-lived though as the nerves and tension of a World Cup semi-final engulfed him. Ace New Zealand opening bowler Trent Boult was at his potent best and had De Kock searching outside his offstump like a man lost in the desert without a compass. It was painful to witness and the only salvation came when De Kock created his own demise by succumbing to the pressure with a wild waft that flew down to third man.
It would have been hoped that De Kock would have learnt from those trials – not only of technique but temperament too – and taken on board the lessons to flourish in the new season. Unfortunately this development has not been forthcoming, with De Kock yet to find that calmness at the crease on this current Bangladesh tour that was such a distinct feature of his batting when he first joined the Proteas.
In Martin Crowe’s famous letter to AB de Villiers during the World Cup, the former Black Caps skipper wrote: “Tell young Quinton to clear the mind a little, not premeditate so much, as it roots the feet to the spot. Tell him to breathe deep and let the feet find fluency, then the hitting and timing will return. He’s a critical cog in the wheel. Breathe and believe.”
At this stage it seems that De Kock has not yet given himself the opportunity to “breathe” and perhaps the time could be approaching where the selectors, now led by new convenor Linda Zondi, provide the oxygen-mask for him by giving him some time on the sidelines.
Dropping de Kock is not a straight-foward situation because he doubles as the team’s wicket-keeper and in the absence of De Villiers is the only gloveman on tour in Bangladesh. De Villiers has also become a reluctant wicketkeeper of late which does allow de Kock greater freedom in the team.
Although never the most accomplished of wicketkeepers, the batting struggles are beginning to impact on his second duty too, with De Kock often fumbling straightforward returns and generally being untidy behind the stumps.
De Villiers’s return to the ODI team will also have to be accommodated, which will place the impressive Rilee Rossouw’s position in the middle-order under scrutiny. Considering the impact Rossouw has had recently and the confidence with which he is playing at the moment, the left-hander from Bloemfontein offers the Proteas more than the boytjie from the Highveld at the moment.
It is ironic that it was only when Rossouw replaced the injured De Kock for last summer’s home ODI series against the West Indies and was granted an opportunity to open the innings with Amla that he discovered his mojo at international level after an hit-and-miss start to his career.
The 247-run partnership Rossouw and Amla shared for the first wicket at Centurion is South Africa’s best ever ODI opening stand and to further press home the fact that the pair are in sync at the crease, they replicated their record-breaking 247-run partnership two matches later – only this time for the third wicket – as De Kock had returned from injury.
Quinton de Kock will become one of South Africa’s true legends. He simply has too much talent not to. But perhaps the time away from the glare of the national team and a return to the basics with his new franchise coach Rob Walter at the Titans will be more beneficial to him and the Proteas in the long run.