“There was a lot in the wicket. It was just a matter of soaking in the pressure as long as we can and then capitalizing when we can,” said Proteas wicket-keeper-batsman, Quinton de Kock, after he scored an unbeaten 141 to take South Africa to 322/10.

Leading the West Indies by 225 runs, the South African bowling attack reduced the West Indies to 82/4, with Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje taking two wickets each.

“If the bowlers keep doing what they’re doing, we should have the game done by tomorrow,” said de Kock. However, de Kock remained wary of the strength of the West Indian batting lineup. “We have seen this team bat deep before. They know these conditions better than us, so they can put a lot of pressure on us.”

De Kock revealed that moving between bio-security bubbles had taken its toll on him. “I’ve been under so many bubbles – it took its toll and it was just too much.”

Playing cricket continuously in bubbles, beginning with the IPL in 2020, followed by the England, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan series proved to be challenging. The Pakistan series “was particularly difficult going from the dressing room to one flight of rooms. No balconies, no room to move.”

Asked about the possibility of playing with the Dukes ball in South Africa, de Kock said, “We already have some spicy wickets back home. You bring the Dukes ball there – instead of playing Test matches or four-day games, we’ll end up playing two-day games. That ball does a lot. There’s a reason we play with the Kookaburra. It does enough. Makes for a fair contest.”

De Kock also chose to keep his reason for not taking the knee private stating that he will “keep it to himself” and that “no one is forced to do anything in life”.