De Kock's absence puts Proteas wicketkeepers in the spotlight

Rob Walter hasn’t shut the door yet on Quinton de Kock’s international future, but the key to unlocking it is in the player’s pocket. 

“He’s played a lot of World Cups and played for SA for a long time,” the Proteas One-Day coach said.

“We’ll leave him to play in [T20] leagues and do what he needs to do, and if that creates a road for him back to playing for SA, then everyone benefits.”

Walter has not called De Kock and De Kock has not talked to Walter since the end of the T20 World Cup, where the 31-year-old again produced scintillating performances at the top of the order. 

Not only did De Kock illustrate his value with the bat, but his cricketing nous was important in providing T20 skipper Aiden Markram with a good sounding board during that tournament, where SA finished runners-up. 

The sample size remains limited, but in De Kock’s absence other candidates for the wicketkeeper/batter position have yet to show they should be locked into the Proteas' limited overs teams for the long-term.

“For the next little while there will be no conversations with Quinny about whether he wants to play. I’ve left the door open for him to approach me if and when he wants to do that,” said Walter.

“It might never happen and there might be a conversation, but that won’t necessarily lead to him being selected. We have to allow him to have his space.”

Meanwhile, Kyle Verreynne, Ryan Rickelton, Donovan Ferreira and Tristan Stubbs have all donned the wicketkeeping gloves in white-ball internationals in the past 18 months since Walter took the helm.

None have dominated in the manner they or Walter would have liked. They will all point out that none of them have been given an extended run. Rickelton has played two ODIs and six T20s, Verreynne 12 ODIs (all before Walter was appointed), Ferreira has played four T20s but not as wicketkeeper, and Stubbs has played only one ODI, while he was also designated wicketkeeper in three of his 29 T20s. 

“We are giving opportunities to Verreynne, Klaasen and Rickleton as our wicketkeepers. What will become more important is performance,” said Walter.

Klaasen is missing the Proteas tour to the UAE, where they will play Afghanistan in three ODIs and Ireland in two T20s and three ODIs due to personal reasons. 

Rickelton is not in the squad for the Afghanistan series, giving Verreynne a chance to prove his worth. The Lions left-hand opener will play in both series against the Irish and those matches have to be the platform from which he makes a firm bid for a spot in the squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy. 

Walter has options in the wicketkeeping berth, but that De Kock — who officially retired from the ODI format after last year’s World Cup — keeps cropping up suggests doubts are growing about those who can replace him.