South Africa wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock has been named in the Proteas’ white ball squads for their upcoming tour to Pakistan, reversing his decision to step away having previously announced his retirement from the 50-over format following their semi-final defeat to Australia in the 2023 World Cup.
De Kock has also not featured for the T20 side since they agonisingly fell short against India in the T20 World Cup final last June, whilst he previously called time on his Test career in 2021 at the age of 29.
Whilst he had not formally retired from the shortest format, the left-hander did not receive a central contract last year but now returns to the fold ahead of the T20 World Cup in February and 50-over World Cup in 2027 which South Africa are co-hosting.
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A leading international talent
The stylish batter is widely recognised as one of the best white-ball performers of the past decade, particularly at the top of the order in ODI cricket where he made 21 centuries at an average of 45.74 in his 155 caps – only 12 players in history have scored more hundreds in the format.
In ODI’s, de Kock holds two of the four highest individual scores by a wicketkeeper and recorded three consecutive centuries against India in 2013 on his way to becoming the joint-third quickest player to 1,000 runs in 21 innings.
The leading scorer for his country at the 2024 T20 World Cup, de Kock was also a very destructive ball-striker in the short format, averaging 31.51 at a strike rate of 138.32 with one century coming against the West Indies in 2023.
His record in the Test arena as primarily a middle order batter was also highly commendable, averaging nearly 39 at a strike rate above 70 with 22 fifties and six centuries, until he cited family reasons behind his premature exit from the format four years ago.
Financial muscle surges modern trend
De Kock’s decision to call time on his international career at the peak of his powers is becoming an increasingly common move in the current climate as prioritising franchise commitments now provides a much more lucrative and less intense career for in-demand players.
This is particularly the case for nations such as South Africa and West Indies, who are not financially one of the big players in international cricket, despite the Proteas currently holding the title as the best Test side in the world following their Test Championship final win over Australia at Lord’s in June.
High-profile names Heinrich Klaasen and Nicholas Pooran both announced their retirement from international cricket in favour of franchise leagues earlier this year, with the latter a particularly eye-opening call at the age of just 29.
It is an issue unlikely to ever seriously impact England and their star players given the stakes of giving up a central contract, though it was reported Jason Roy earned around £150,000 to play in the first edition of Major League Cricket two years ago, forfeiting his significantly lower ECB deal in order to do so.
A dwindling shelf life for franchise commodities?
De Kock’s class on the international stage made him a seasoned campaigner for franchises around the world, notably having over 100 games in the Indian Premier League under his belt for six different teams where he became the third overseas batter to score 500+ runs across three or more different seasons and was a key member of the Mumbai Indians side that won consecutive titles between 2019 and 2020.
The South African also tasted success in the inaugural edition of the Hundred with Southern Brave, whilst also representing franchises in his domestic SA20, Australia’s Big Bash League, the Caribbean Premier League and Major League Cricket in the US.
However, in recent years there has been a notable slump in form which can be attributed to his lack of regular international cricket.
After making 15 appearances and scoring 508 runs for Lucknow Super Giants in 2022, de Kock has only played 23 times in the following three seasons and in 2025 registered his lowest average since his debut year in the competition twelve years ago at 21.71.
His SA20 average of 19.87 earlier this year was also considerably lower than the 30.11 he posted in 2022-23, whilst similarly in the recent CPL, he made 208 runs at 23.11 and a strike rate of 118.85 which was in stark contrast to the 453 runs at 45.30 and 161.78 strike rate from 12 months before.
Brutal career path
The wicketkeeper has not been selected in the Hundred for the past three years after a disappointing second season with the Southern Brave, whilst his maiden BBL stint at the Melbourne Renegades in 2023-24 was underwhelming with a high score of 38.
Whilst some T20 specialists – namely the likes of Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell – continue to be valuable assets into their late thirties, there is growing evidence to suggest players are suffering a decline by restricting their game to the chaotic world of franchise cricket and also removing themselves from the shop window as young talents continue to emerge on the international platform.
Given there are only so many overseas spots up for grabs between players across the world, as well as the wicketkeeper position in particular being such a specialist role, franchise cricket can be lucrative but a very short-term and brutal career path as teams continually strive to build the best possible squads.
A fair use of autonomy or selfish attempt to retain relevancy?
So is de Kock’s decision good for the international game and can we expect to see more examples in the future as franchise cricket continues to lure the world’s best players?
Proteas head coach Shukri Conrad referred to de Kock’s return as a “major boost” and stressed the player’s “strong ambition to represent his country”.
However, to what extent is it a decision based with global tournaments on the horizon and the opportunity to send a reminder of his undoubted talent in order to retain future franchise deals?
Well only Quinton can really answer that. Debates around player availability between bilateral series and major tournaments have been on the agenda before, regarding the fairness on existing squad players who have maintained a level of commitment.
If de Kock is still considered to be in South Africa’s best XI by those in charge, then it must be viewed as an important victory for international cricket at a time when tensions with franchise leagues show no sign of easing up.
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