Proteas captain Quinton de Kock highlighted that his team is raring to go ahead of the first T20I against England at Six Gun Grill Newlands, and are eager to “help change what’s been going on around cricket in South Africa” with positive results, writes Lucy Rees.
Friday marks the first T20I between South Africa and England at Newlands. The two squads are living in a covid-secure bubble and only two players have been tested positive and cleared in that time.
England is set to play three T20Is and three ODIs with the games being spread across Newlands in Cape Town and Boland Park in Paarl. The first T20I match will be Friday 27 November and the last ODI will be on Wednesday 9 December.
The limited-overs series will be played behind closed doors, with no fans present. This will also be the first bit of international cricket the Proteas will have played since March.
“The guys are very keen to play, it’s been a while since we’ve played for the Proteas and I think the guys are raring to go and help change what’s been going on around cricket in South Africa.
“We’re the leaders up front in the country and the guys are keen to get out there and get going with it.”
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Despite De Kock’s confidence and belief in the team, he is still wary of the threat the World Champions possess.
“England has an unbelievable record and a team that’s full of match-winners, but I think the last series we played against them, we definitely gave them a run for their money.
“I think both teams played unbelievable cricket. It was disappointing we didn’t win the series but I thought the way we went about things, we always fought ’til the end, we didn’t just sit back and I think this time around, it should be a good contest again.”
Three weeks ago, when CSA and ECB released the squads for the series, England released two 15-man squads for the series whereas South Africa only released a 24-man squad.
“If I look at both squads, I think we’re almost matching with obviously one or two things are a little bit different. I think when we get out to the field it’s going to be a close contest once again,” De Kock said.
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The Proteas skipper had another great run in this year’s IPL scoring 503 runs in 16 innings and Mumbai Indians won the competition again, De Kock said:
“I think just because I played the IPL, it doesn’t guarantee me to score runs in this next series, but I’d love to give to a couple of starts and making sure I capitalise on them.
“I think that’ll help our situation big time. So, if I get an opportunity I’ll try and grab it with both hands when I can.
“I think in the team, there is a lot of IPL experience. I can bring my little bit and one or two other guys can bring their bits, but I think the IPL is very different, especially the way it was played this year.
“There’s nothing I could bring that the guys don’t know already. There’s actually not much I want to change that the Proteas have that Mumbai have; I think it’s hard to make one the same as the other.
“Mumbai is its own team, and I don’t think any other [team] can replicate what’s happening there, I can only share my experiences on how we’ve gone about winning the tournaments.”
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When asked if he is fearing facing Ben Stokes in the opposite team, De Kock said: “I’m not really a big believer in records and all those things. Especially when it comes to that sort of record, I think he’ll just come off.
“I remember as a keeper where Ben Stokes just smashed a hundred against us. He’s a very top-class player and adds a lot of value to that team, Stokesy. Look at their squad, I think there’s a lot of guys to watch out for.
“You can’t just pick one guy, any player from the English team, if they come off, they could really hurt you, it’s not just one guy, even though Stokesy is one guy that can hurt you in all ways.
“From bowling, he can do something spectacular in the field, batting, we all know how well he can bat and how dangerous he is. He is dangerous in everything he does.”
De Kock also acknowledged the threat of Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali.
Photo: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix
