South African batter Heinrich Klaasen admitted that he is heartbroken by Quinton de Kock’s decision to call it a day from ODIs after the World Cup 2023. Before the mega event on Indian soil, the left-handed de Kock said that he would quit the 50-over format.
De Kock has been in brilliant form, having already scored three hundreds from five matches in the World Cup. He is also the leading run-scorer, having racked up 407 runs at an average of 81.40 and a strike-rate of 114.97.
On Tuesday, de Kock put forth his A-game after scoring 174 runs from 140 balls with 15 fours and seven sixes against Shakib Al Hasan’s Bangladesh at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The knock also fetched him the Player of the Match award after the Proteas won by 149 runs.“It’s going to be tough to convince him not to retire. He has been phenomenal for us and he has been great for South Africa over the years. It’s sad to see him leave, but hopefully he will leave on a good note. He has been brilliant for us in the tournament,” Klaasen was quoted as saying to Star Sports.
Faf du Plessis was also in awe of the South African team for the way it has played in World Cup 2023. Having won four out of five games, the Proteas are placed second in the table with eight points and a stupendous net run rate of +2.370.
“I am extremely proud. You look at these guys, the way they are playing at the moment, having played with them for such a long time, seeing them on top of their game, I have been a huge fan of watching them play,” du Plessis said.
The Proteas will be looking to go to the top of the table when they next face Pakistan at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
