De Kock named as Proteas ODI captain

Quinton de Kock was named as the new Standard Bank Proteas one-day international captain by Cricket SA (CSA) on Tuesday.

“We all know the quality of the player that Quinton de Kock has grown to become," commented CSA Acting Director of Cricket Graeme Smith.

"Over the years, we have watched him grow in confidence and become one of the top ODI wicketkeeper batsmen in the world. He has a unique outlook and manner in which he goes about his business and is tactically very street smart.

"We are confident that the new leadership role will bring out the best in him as a cricketer and that he can take the team forward into the future and produce results that South Africans the world over can be very proud of. We wish him the very best in this new role and look forward to watching him make his mark in this series against the World Cup Champions.”

He made his international debut in December 2012 after an impressive showing at that year’s ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in Australia and was called up into the ODI squad just a short month later.

The 27-year-old wicketkeeper batsman boasts 115 ODI caps with 4 907 runs. An exciting talent from the beginning, De Kock has been one of South Africa’s standout and most consistent batsmen for several seasons with an ODI average of 45.01, 14 centuries, 24 half-centuries and a high score of 178 (off 113 balls, 16x4, 11x6s) which he made against Australia at SuperSport Park in September 2016.

With two weeks to go until the start of the ODI series against the reigning ICC World Cup Champions, the following players were confirmed as making up the 15-man squad:

Quinton de Kock (captain, Momentum Multiply Titans), Reeza Hendricks (Imperial Lions), Temba Bavuma (Imperial Lions), Rassie van der Dussen (Imperial Lions), David Miller (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Jon Jon Smuts (Warriors), Andile Phehlukwayo (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Lutho Sipamla (Warriors), Lungi Ngidi (Momentum Multiply Titans), Tabraiz Shamsi (Momentum Multiply Titans), Sisanda Magala (Warriors), Bjorn Fortuin (Imperial Lions), Beuran Hendricks (Imperial Lions), Janneman Malan (World Sports Betting Cape Cobras), Kyle Verreynne (World Sports Betting Cape Cobras).

Five players are receiving an ODI call-up for the very first time. They are Lutho Sipamla, Sisanda Magala, Bjorn Fortuin, Janneman Malan and Kyle Verreynne.

Four of the named players’ selection is dependent on their passing a fitness test. Those players are Lungi Ngidi (who is making a comeback from injury), Sisanda Magala, Tabraiz Shamsi and Jon Jon Smuts.