De Kock opens up about surprise Proteas return

PROTEAS wicket-keeper batter Quinton de Kock opened up to the media on Thursday about his reasons to reverse his retirement in white-ball cricket, citing that he missed the camaraderie of being a part of the Proteas team.

- ONGAMA GCWABE

De Kock made a shocking reversal of his retirement decision in white ball cricket last month, essentially availing himself for the Proteas in ODIs and T20!Is effective immediately.

Proteas coach Shukri Conrad brought him back into the squad for the first time during the once-off T201 against Namibia earlier this month.

De Kock is currently with the Proteas T20I squad in Pakistan, competing in the three-match series - the Proteas are leading 1-0 after their 55-run victory in the first T201 in Rawalpindi earlier this week.

For someone who is usually shy in front of the media, the 32-yearold opened up about his decision to return to international cricket.

“T think what I missed the most is the camaraderie and also just the whole thing of representing the Proteas.

“T think I've played so much for the Proteas over the years, I kind of forgot about that niche as a kid that's grown up to be a Proteas cricketer,” De Kock told the media yesterday.

“I think after having a bit of a break from the team, I think that childhood dream kind of came back. That's one of the big things that I missed about representing this team or playing for the Proteas.