CRICKET NEWS - The Proteas’ early series win over India as well as his excellent glovework might’ve shone the spotlight away from him to an extent but Quinton de Kock is a man under pressure.
Following a distinctly lukewarm Ram Slam T20 – just 118 runs in eight innings – the gifted left-hander has found runs hard to score in the Test format.
In fact, he averages a lowly 22 in his last nine Tests.
But last week’s match in Centurion was the cherry on top.
De Kock simply looked hapless with the bat, especially in the second innings.
He edged three consecutive boundaries off Mohammed Shami before hanging out his bat to be out off the fourth ball.
It was the shot of a man who just didn’t know what to do with himself.
Ironically, Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis believes De Kock should actually think less about his game.
“The key for a guy like him is not to over-analyse,” he said on Tuesday, ahead of Wednesday’s third Test at the Wanderers.
“You don’t want to over-complicate things. It’s normal, it happens when a guy goes two to five Tests without scoring runs. You tend to think more about things.”
De Kock’s instinctive approach to the game is his strength, meaning he negates that if he becomes too robotic while batting.
“He’s a free spirit, that’s his biggest asset,” said Du Plessis.
