South Africa wicketkeeper batter Quinton de Kock could miss the second and third Tests against India as his wife, Sasha Hurly, is expecting the birth of their third child early in January. The second Test is set to start on January 3 in Johannesburg while the final Test is scheduled on January 11 in Cape Town.
South Africa’s selection convenor Victory Mpitsang confirmed to ‘ESPNcricinfo’ that he expects Quinton to miss the last Test, which will leave the team without their designated wicketkeeper and key lower-middle order batter. However, one of Kyle Verreynne and Ryan Rickelton will play in De Kock’s place. Should De Kock need to leave the bubble earlier than the last Test, for example during the second Test, it unlikely he will be able to return to the bio-secure environment in time.
Verreynne made his debut on South Africa’s tour of West Indies in June in the absence of vice-captain Temba Bavuma. He mustered 39 runs in the three innings. He has since played three First-Class matches for Western Province and scored one half-century. On the other hand, Rickelton, who is uncapped, has had a better recent run. He is tenth on the First-Class batting charts this season and has struck two centuries in his last three games as well as led the Lions to the top of points table.
In the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2021, De Kock was opted out of the second group stage match after refusing to comply with a Cricket South Africa (CSA) board directive to take the knee. However, De Kock subsequently took a knee in the remaining three matches. CSA has since confirmed that the national team will take a knee throughout the summer.
India’s tour of South Africa is scheduled to begin from December 26. The tour will start with a three-match Test series ending by January 15. The Test series will be followed by a three-match ODI series, starting from January 19.
The former South Africa captain plays for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, scored 297 runs in 11 innings in 2021 edition and was a key player in the 2020 edition where the Paltans clinched the IPL trophy for the fifth time.
