One of the most bankable cricketers in the current South African unit and their all-format captain, Quinton de Kock, is playing his 50th Test match against Pakistan at National Stadium in Karachi. Before the commencement of the Test match, South Africa’s head coach Mark Boucher congratulated de Kock and added that the 28-year-old has got another 100 Test matches for him.
Boucher, who became the head coach of the national team in December 2019, had donned the Protea Test jersey on 147 occasions. He is noted as one of the greatest wicket-keeper batsmen the game has ever witnessed, affecting 555 dismissals in the longest format that comprise 532 catches and 23 stumpings, and overall, holds an astonishing tally of 999 dismissals in 467 international appearances.
Boucher remains the second most capped Test played for South Africa, only behind former cricketing great Jacques Kallis, who donned the whites for 166 Test matches.
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In a recent interaction, Boucher opened on de Kock’s style of play and mentioned that he is one of those cricketers who could snatch the game away from the opposition when in a flow.
“It is a special occasion for any player. It is just the start of his career. There’s possibly another 100 Test matches there for him. Quinny is a special cricketer. He is the type of player opposition hope doesn’t get into good form because he can take the game away from anyone very quickly,” said Boucher as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
Quinton de Kock was named as the Test captain ahead of the home Test series against Sri Lanka, which South Africa won by a 2-0 margin.
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Boucher says that he is delighted to see that the wicket-keeper batsman has taken on the additional responsibility as a ‘captain’ of the Test team He further spoke about how the management is helping de Kock as much as they can in that regard.
“Being a captain is an extra responsibility we have added on to him. We are trying to help him out as much as we can in that department. But I am very happy he has taken on that role,” added the 44-year-old.
Hopefully, we can get the best of Quinny in this series: Mark Boucher
South Africa is underway the two-match away Test series against Pakistan which would be followed by three T20 Internationals.
Boucher concluded by saying how the team is hoping to get the best of De Kock as a captain and as a player in the ongoing series. “I know it is tough at times, especially if your performances are not exactly where you want them to be. Hopefully, we can get the best of Quinny in this series. It can only be good for him as a person, a captain, and also for the team,” said Boucher.
