South Africa captain Quinton de Kock has decided to take a mental health break and will not be a part of the upcoming domestic Twenty20 tournament on medical advice. He is expected to take time off “for a few weeks”, according to South Africa Cricketers’ Association (SACA) CEO Andrew Breetzke.
“SACA and Cricket South Africa will continue to support him through this process,” said Breetzke told ESPNcricinfo.
Last month, de Kock had said that he was feeling the strain of living in bio-secure bubbles during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 28-year-old described it as “unsettling”. He had also expressed his doubts over the tour of Pakistan.
De Kock, who is the South Africa limited-overs captain, had agreed to lead the side in a temporary capacity. He led South Africa to victory in two Tests against Sri Lanka during December-January. However, de Kock, South Africa's cricketer of the year in 2020, was unable to replicate his team’s success in the Test series against Pakistan that followed.
South Africa lost the series 2-0, and de Kock’s captaincy had come under scrutiny.
Earlier this week, South Africa’s director of cricket and former captain Graeme Smith had said that all contracted players would play in the domestic T20 tournament. Presently, de Kock and Faf du Plessis have not been named in any of the teams.
Du Plessis on Wednesday announced his decision to retire from Test cricket, but stated that he will focus on the shortest format of the game.
“We are trying to manage these bubble lives that the players are spending time in, the mental health and welfare of players,” said Smith.
“But we need to do get our players playing. We’ve got a lot of growth to happen in our men’s game and for players to step up.”
The T20 tournament will be played in Durban during February 19-29, and all players will be staying in a bio-secure environment.
