Exclusive: Quinton de Kock Backed by Chris Morris to Prove a Point Following Retirement U-Turn

Former Proteas all-rounder Chris Morris believes Quinton de Kock will be out to prove a point in Namibia and Pakistan as he returns to international cricket after announcing the reversal of his retirement.

Quinton’s Return

Quinton de Kock recently reversed his retirement from international white ball cricket, availing himself for South Africa until he is not wanted anymore. 

The 32-year-old last donned the green and gold during the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean.

In ODI cricket, the left-handed batter last played during South Africa’s semi-final exit from the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup in India, where he blasted four centuries.

His return to international cricket has largely been met with excitement. Former teammate Chris Morris is equally excited by the prospect of watching the 32-year-old in the green and gold once again.

De Kock is set to play his first game back in the one-off T20I against Namibia on Saturday, before he heads to Pakistan for three ODIs and three T20Is.

Considering that only Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have scored more ODI centuries than De Kock’s 21 centuries, it makes sense that his return is met with excitement.

“At the end of the day, Quinton's a world-class player, so I'm very happy to have him back. I wouldn't say it was strange, because I think Quinton had his mind made up quite early,” Morris told SportsBoom.co.za in an exclusive interview.

“For him to come back, I thought it was a good thing for us. I think with a guy like Heinrich Klassen that's missing in the middle now, you almost need an experienced batter up at the top, and he's the guy that will provide that.”

“And with a lot of young players coming through that we've seen, they've got absolute talent to smash it around the park, you need someone up at the top to get them off to a good start, and if not, steady the ship a little bit up at the top. Ryan Rickleton's been very good in the SA20 and domestic cricket for quite some time now, and obviously playing a bit of Test cricket.”

“But when you've got a guy like Quinton coming in, there might be an option of who's going to play. Because one's got the reputation and one's an up-and-coming star, so it's going to be a tough decision. But I don't mind it. I like having a guy of his experience up in the changing room, first of all, but up at the top, leading it from the front, I'm a big fan.”

Proving a point

While De Kock’s return has been met with excitement, he still needs to make big runs to force his way into the main squad.

Currently, while he is selected in the Proteas squad to tour Pakistan for the white ball series, the likes of Ryan Rickelton, who is a like-for-like with him, have been rested for that particular white series, along with the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Aiden Markram.

Meaning De Kock will have to make big runs to force his way to the full-strength squads ahead of the India tour, which will follow right after the Pakistan tour.

Morris believes De Kock will be out to prove a point in Namibia and Pakistan.

“I think he's going to go out there and obviously try to prove a point, because he's coming out of retirement and people are going to be asking, there's going to be question marks around him,” said Morris.

“He's been out of the international game for a little bit, playing around the world, and there might be a few question marks from the public.”

“When you've got players that have cemented themselves up at the top, and almost an older player comes in, or even when a new player comes in and they start doing well, you start looking at yourself going, is my spot really cemented? And that usually brings out the best in players.”

“So, it's a good headache to have for Shukri (Conrad), but it might just give a few players a kick up the backside when they thought they were comfortable.”

“And look, we're not all blind to the fact that we're not comfortable, no one's ever comfortable in a cricket team without performing, but sometimes you do get that, right, I should be playing this game, and all of a sudden someone's starting to perform.”

“So, it's exciting times, and if we can get a good Quinton de Kock just before the (home 2027) World Cup, and we can get him firing at international and domestic, I tell you what, we're going to be looking like a seriously good team.”