A batter with over 6,000 runs at an average above 45 in a career spanning more than ten years has always been known for his bummer World Cup campaigns.
The general perception matters a lot in cricket. No matter how big a player is, there’s always a perception about him, even among the non-casuals. In Quinton de Kock’s case, it’s about his World Cup performances.
A batter with over 6,000 runs at an average above 45 in a career spanning more than ten years has always been known for his bummer World Cup campaigns. Obviously, his outings haven’t helped, as he averaged only 30 while scoring just under 86 in the previous two tournaments. However, Quinton was decent in 2019, when he averaged 38.12 and struck at 87, alongside three fifties in nine innings.
But that’s a different thing – perhaps it doesn’t fit the perceptions, either. If someone wants to gauge Quinton’s current image, the social media reactions after his twin tons would serve ideally. A player with 19 centuries astonished everyone with his World Cup performances, for they didn’t expect it at all.
On Thursday (October 12), Quinton de Kock reinforced his ODI prowess again by belting 109 runs in the Lucknow heat. It’s not that he hasn’t done it before, but this was something else. He played all those ‘Quinton shots’, but he still was a notch above the rest.
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The shot-making wasn’t as easy as de Kock made it look. His partner at the other end, Temba Bavuma, struggled for every run and never got going throughout his stay. Quinton was batting on a different track altogether.
Like the previous game, Quinton de Kock was cautious at the start, where he went easy on Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood – the duo who wreaked havoc with the new ball against India. He played with soft hands, and even when he missed his shots, Quinton didn’t mind.
In the first 15 balls, Quinton made only 14 runs and eased himself into it. Seeing Temba struggle, he decided to take the responsibility of providing impetus himself. Mind you, he didn’t go after the Sri Lankan bowlers in the powerplay at all.
However, Quinton quickly realised this surface would slow down as the innings moved. Even though the pitches are relaid in Lucknow after a lacklustre IPL, there were still some shades of those tracks. After being exposed to the scorching heat, almost every track slows down as the ball gets softer.
This year, Quinton has been cautious in the initial phase, probably because of not getting a century for over 18 months in the format. Before this World Cup, his last hundred was in January 2022 against India. It was possibly why he didn’t attack in the powerplay in Delhi, even when Temba perished early.
Quinton de Kock in ODI powerplay (BpB/Dot%):
From 2021-22 – 5.74/55.6📈
In 2023 – 6.59/63📉Quinton has taken his time early on and exploded after settling in this year. It has helped him play big knocks in ODIs.#AUSvsSA #WorldCup2023 pic.twitter.com/XFbSbDVwzb
— CricXtasy (@CricXtasy) October 12, 2023
However, the Lucknow track required a steady start. And, as visible in the slog overs, the Australian bowlers did pull things back after taking ample beating. So, Quinton was sound in his assumption of the conditions.
In the sixth over, de Kock amassed three boundaries off Josh Hazlewood, and there was no looking back then. When Glenn Maxwell came to bowl in the seventh over, he turned his first ball straightaway. So, Adam Zampa was also going to be a threat, and he also created a chance in his first over. Bavuma edged a leg spin, but Josh Inglis couldn’t hold it.
Quinton took him on straight away after the drinks, hitting two consecutive boundaries in the 17th over. He motored along nicely, and for the rest of his innings, he played all those ‘Quinton shots’ on his way to an outrageous ton. Even while hitting the boundaries, Quinton was prudent to target the shorter boundaries.
The southpaw used the pace of Hazlewood and played ramp and pull shots over fine leg while punching a fullish-length on the middle stump by Starc for a punch down the ground. He showed his range of shots against the spinners and pacers and made sure to get going throughout his innings. It was fitting he reached his ton with an authoritative pull, his go-to shot all career.
Quinton stood tall, expecting a short delivery with a high backlift, picked the length early and pulled it ferociously with a lightning-fast bat speed over deep midwicket for a massive maximum, his fifth of the day. It’s impossible to control him with the short deliveries, as he is always prepared for them, especially if it’s pace-on. He took 90 balls to reach his second successive ton.
Quinton departed after adding nine more, but only after laying a solid foundation for the finishers to take on. He hadn’t reached three figures in 17 innings in the World Cup before this tournament, but he now has two in two innings.
De Kock on fire 🔥#SAvAUS pic.twitter.com/V7RMIiHYb5
— CricXtasy (@CricXtasy) October 12, 2023
It’s not that Quinton wouldn’t have been a giant if he hadn’t hit these two tons. He has always been a top-tier ODI batter, and even those 17 World Cup innings where he went century-less didn’t take this tag away. It’s just that these knocks have come just at the right time in numerous ways.
This World Cup is Quinton de Kock’s swansong, and while he disagrees, there is that extra incentive to leave the stage on a high. “I’m pretty much the same whether I’ve announced that I’ve retired or not retired,” exclaimed de Kock ahead of the Lucknow game. But, the celebration after his century against Sri Lanka and his vigilance in the second innings against Australia depicted his appetite in this tournament.
When Tabraiz Shamsi and Marco Jansen were slow to throw the ball back on successive deliveries in the 33rd over, Quinton’s reaction said it all. He gave an annoyed stare to both of them despite having Australia six down and the game all but sealed. Clearly, he didn’t want his players to go easy before completely nailing the job.
The recency bias is a massive thing in the cricket fraternity. These knocks will help. Not that Quinton de Kock cares, but these performances will also help in changing those perceptions created about him in a career that achieved so much.
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