South African cricket director Graeme Smith said Quinton de Kock will be released from the test captain to help the star wicket-keeper batsman stay fresh.
Why Quinton De Kock Removed From Captaincy?
However, De Kock will continue to hold his position as captain of the limited overs teams. South Africa may have a few busy months ahead of the ongoing global health crisis, and Smith believes that captain management in all three formats could be a particular challenge.
“The only thing I can confirm is that Quinton De Kock will be our white-ball captain and he won’t be the test captain in the future,” said Smith. “We want to keep Quinton fresh and play well. I have always believed that mastering all three formats after I was on the job is a challenge.
We have seen a number of nations trying to figure out what’s going on is best, and I think about three formats about it, it probably doesn’t work. “
JUST IN: CSA have appointed Graeme Smith as their Director of Cricket for a full term.
— ICC (@ICC) April 17, 2020
The former 🇿🇦 skipper, who was handed the role on an interim basis in December, will now serve for a two-year period pic.twitter.com/lejZKLcKG5
“Because of our workload and mental performance, we felt it wouldn’t be beneficial for us to burden him with all three formats. And with the style of the personality and the player he is, we want to keep him as expressive as possible “said Smith.
Smith and his team have yet to agree on a candidate to succeed de Kock. “I can’t tell you who it will be. We are in a debate about it,” said Smith. “There is no one who can be pinpointed right now that this is the guy. There are still a lot of players vying for selection and I think it is the challenge we are facing right now. There are many players at a similar field level. “
“The challenge when we play cricket is to see who is developing to really consistent performance and who is advancing,” he said. “We need to understand the personalities who look at people and maybe take risks and support someone,” he said. “Coming from someone who has been risked is something we would consider.”