Quinton de Kock, the South African wicketkeeper, has announced his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect. He was scheduled to take paternal leave and hence miss the second and third Tests against India. However, CSA announced in a press release that the left-hander has decided to withdraw from the Test format.
He was a key member of the new Test team, and he will be greatly missed in the near future. De Kock made 34 and 21 runs in the two innings in South Africa's 113-run loss to India in the Centurion Test on Thursday (December 30).
Overall, the left-handed batsmen scored 3300 runs in 54 Test matches (91 innings) at an average of 38.82, including six centuries and 22 half-centuries. In addition, he captained South Africa in a few Test matches.
In a tweet, the CSA said that "Quinton de Kock has decided to spend more time with his growing family and, as a result, his Test career has come to an end".
Quinton de Kock admitted in the statement that it was a difficult decision for him. He does, however, want to spend more time with his wife Sasha, with whom he is expecting their first kid. "This has not been an easy decision for me to make.
"Now that Sasha and I are about to welcome our first child into the world and plan to increase our family beyond that, I've spent a lot of time thinking about what my future looks like and what needs to take priority in my life. In a statement, the 29-year-old stated, "My family is everything to me, and I want to have the time and space to be with them during this fresh and amazing part of our life."
De Kock also confirmed that his career with South Africa is not done and that he is absolutely dedicated to playing for the country in white-ball formats.