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Proteas wicket keeper Quinton de Kock said his recent testing crisis was made worse by the Covid-19 bubbles he was in last year. De Kock scored his first ton of testing in nearly two years against the West Indies on the second day of the first test in Saint Lucia. De Kock also cautioned against using the Dukes Ball in South Africa because of the spicy wickets.
Proteas wicket keeper Quinton de Kock said his recent testing crisis was made worse by the constant bubbles from Covid-19 and not by the test captain position he recently held.
In his first test since handing over the red ball to Dean Elgar, De Kock landed his sixth test ton and one that could be game-defining.
De Kock’s undefeated 141 led South Africa to the safety of the 322 in their opening innings in response to the West Indies opening 97 innings.
The West Indies fought again against a hostile and precise South African bowling alley, from which they had to settle for an 82/4 at the end of the second day of play.
De Kock said the Covid-19 bubbles had wreaked havoc on him and needed a break.
He received one earlier this year by Cricket South Africa when he skipped the Betway Franchise T20 series after returning from a terrible test tour of Pakistan.
“It has nothing to do with the harbor master’s office, but everything to do with the bubbles of Covid-19,” De Kock said.
“Being in so many bubbles took its toll. It was just too much and that was it. I just asked for a break and relaxed for the T20 series we had at home.
“They considered it a mental break, or whatever, but I wasn’t mentally tired of cricket at least. I was just tired of the bubbles.”
De Kock further explained the turgid nature of some of the Covid-19 bubbles he has experienced.
“We were on the road from the IPL and the Pakistani bubble was particularly difficult,” De Kock said.
“We went from the stadium changing rooms to a flight of rooms. There was no balcony or room to move around, so I asked for a break. It’s been going well since then.”
One of the hallmarks of De Kock’s innings was Dukes ball control which remains harder and brighter than the Kookaburra and SG balls used on the Test Circuit.
While Aiden Markram (60) and Rassie van der Dussen (46) took the start, no other batsman except De Kock seemed comfortable in the crease.
De Kock, who also experimented with the UK version of the Dukes ball which is barely beaten due to the different weather conditions there, cautioned against using the Dukes ball in South Africa.
“If you bring the Dukes’ ball to South Africa it becomes an even more difficult competition. We already have spicy wickets at home,” De Kock said.
“If you bring it to South Africa, the test matches can be shorter and the four-day matches could be two-day matches because that ball does a lot.
“There’s a reason we play with the Kookaburra at home because he ends up doing enough and allows for fair competition.”
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