De Kock rakes in the awards
CSA AWARDS: PROTEAS GLOVEMAN SCOOPS THREE MAJOR ACCOLADES
Laura Wolvaardt claims top women’s award as she eyes 2021 ODI World Cup.
The monotony of lockdown has sent many people out to lunch but for Quinton de Kock the same simple “see ball, hit ball” approach that makes him such a great cricketer has seen him get through the winter so far in typically phlegmatic fashion.
Named CSA’s Men’s Cricketer-ofthe-Year at the weekend, De Kock said he has not hit a single ball since the end of last season, but is comfortable that there is plenty of time for him to launch a reinvigorated assault on the bowlers of the world.
In 2019/20, De Kock scored 536 runs in seven Tests at an average of 38.28, with one century and four 50’s, while he has also averaged 38, with one century and four half-centuries, in 15 ODIs in the last year. He also reached 50 four times in eight T20 Internationals, averaging a remarkable 48.42 at a strike rate of 167.
The left-handed wicketkeeper/ batsman scored more Test runs in 2019 than any other Protea (713, 216 more than Faf du Plessis), but has set his sights on scoring more hundreds in the coming season.
“I’ve had the world’s best lockdown, I’ve kept up with my fitness and training in the gym, but I’m based in a very remote place [Garden Route] and there’s not much cricket around here. I needed the break and tried to stay away from cricket.
“But in terms of fulfilling my potential, I would only rank myself about 6.5 out of 10. I had too many starts without progressing, I’m tough on myself and to be honest I’d love to convert those starts into even bigger runs,” De Kock said after also being named Test Cricketer-of-the-Year and Players’ Player-of-the-Year.
One thing De Kock was adamant about is that he is not going to try and take on the Test captaincy as well as his role as whiteball skipper, wicketkeeper and key batsman.
Laura Wolvaardt was named the Women’s Cricketer-of-theYear, largely on the back of her superb performances in steering South Africa to the semifinals of the ICC World T20 in Australia. The 21-year-old said the Proteas will try their utmost to do even better in the 50-over World Cup, scheduled for January.
“Our main focus has been that ODI World Cup for three-and-a-bit years and once we start playing again it will be full steam ahead. I definitely did not see all this success coming at all at the start of the season, especially my role at five in the T20s, and I’m very glad it went well,” said Wolvaardt.