PAK vs SA: "Quinton de Kock Is Probably In The Best Phase Of His Career" - Sanjay Manjrekar

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar acknowledged the exceptional batting prowess of Quinton de Kock in the ICC World Cup 2023. Sanjay Manjrekar suggested a petition to Cricket South Africa (CSA) to ensure Quinton de Kock’s continued participation in ODIs.

Quinton de Kock has been in sublime form with the bat during the ongoing marquee tournament. The left-handed batter is the leading run scorer in the World Cup, amassing 407 runs in just five innings with an impressive average of 81.40, including three centuries.

Quinton de Kock Is A Superb Batter – Sanjay Manjrekar

“In a recent conversation on Star Sports, Sanjay Manjrekar expressed disappointment with Quinton de Kock‘s retirement from ODI cricket after the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 in India.

“Sometimes, you just have to accept that these are excellent batting conditions and he is a superb batter. I am thinking of a petition maybe to the South African cricket board to ensure that he doesn’t retire after the World Cup because this is a treat that we won’t get to watch anymore in 50 overs cricket,” Sanjay Manjrekar told Star Sports on Tuesday.

The wicketkeeper-batter announced his retirement from ODI cricket after the World Cup to focus on his career in the shorter format of the game and spend time with his family. The southpaw had already retired from red-ball cricket and Tests in December 2021.

Quinton de Kock Is Way Too Young – Sanjay Manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar believes that Quinton de Kock is retiring prematurely, considering his age and excellent form. He acknowledged the challenges of modern world cricket, where players may opt for early retirement after major tournaments like the World Cup.

“Yeah, I think so. He is way too young and he is probably in the best phase of his career. But that’s the challenges of world cricket now, I think a lot of players after this World Cup might be in a similar category. Yeah, I will sign up for that petition,” he added.

Quinton de Kock played an exceptional innings, scoring 174 runs off 140 balls against Bangladesh in Mumbai on Tuesday, October 24. The opening batter broke Adam Gilchrist’s record for the highest score by a wicketkeeper-batter in a World Cup match.

Also read: SA vs BAN: Quinton de Kock Shatters Adam Gilchrist, AB de Villiers’ Huge Records Following 174-Run Knock