Captaincy getting tougher and tougher for Quinton De Kock

Quinton De Kock’s South African side have been beaten by England in opening two T20 games of the three match series, which finds them playing the last match to save face and avoid a whitewash at home. Since De Kock has taken over the captaincy in the T20 over format, South Africa have lost seven out of their ten T20 matches, and in all fairness the captaincy is getting tougher and tougher for Quinton De Kock.

Quinton De Kock is not entirely blamed for the situation the South African team finds itself in at the moment. De Kock is left answerable to the selection woes of the South African Cricket Board. Ever since the 2015 World Cup semifinal drama between Kyle Abbott and Vernon Philander, the South African team has to field an average of six coloured players, out of which two must be black Africans.

This led to Anrich Nortje sitting out of the first T20 match against England so that the selection criteria was met. How often do you see a bowler clocking 156.2 kph and sitting on the sidelines? In the batting lineup, the South African team has been making its batters slot in at the wrong positions.

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Temba Bavuma opened alongside De Kock, which meant that Reeza Hendricks had to bat at number three. Hendricks has opened in 92 of his last 93 T20 matches. If Hendricks bats at number three, Faf Du Plessis, former captain of the Proteas and one of the best batsman in the current side, had dropped down to number four in the second T20, a position he has never played in since the 2016 T20 world cup.

In the all-rounders section, Faf Du Plessis correctly pointed out that the Proteas lack enough options in this department. Dwaine Pretorius is currently out on the sidelines, nursing a harmstring injury whereas Andile Phehlukwayo is unavailable for selection at the moment.

George Linde, played a crucial part in the opening two T20 matches and saved the Proteas from a huge defeat. Other options Quinton De Kock might look to are J.Smuts and Wiaan Mulder, out of which the latter is not in the squad.

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Quinton De Kock has not made the task easier for himself after his wrong decisions in the second T20 match that costed South Africa the match. His decision to hand Heinrich Klassen an over against Ben Stokes, put England in the drivers seat. His last minute decision to hand Ngidi the 18th over in place of Nortje, almost ended the game.

South Africa have gone into both games with just five frontline bowlers which is never enough against a team like England, and a point Faf Du Plessis has reiterated so often. South Africa will be up against England in the third T20 match at Cape Town on Tuesday. De Kock will be looking forward to test his playing 11, making a few changes and preparing a settled team for the upcoming T20 World Cup in India, next year.