Mumbai: Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar on Tuesday stated that he was thrilled to watch Quinton de Kock hitting the Bangladesh bowlers to all corners of the Wankhede stadium in their IC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 match.
However, Manjrekar felt a bit disappointed with de Kock’s retirement From ODI cricket after the ODI World Cup 2023.
“Sometimes, you just have to accept that these are excellent batting conditions, and he is a superb batter. I am thinking of a petition maybe to the South African cricket board to ensure that he doesn’t retire after the World Cup because this is a treat that we won’t get to watch anymore in 50 overs cricket,” Sanjay Manjrekar told Star Sports on Tuesday.
South Africa’s former captain Faf du Plessis also reacted to Manjrekar’s comments, highlighting the changing landscape in world cricket.
“Yeah, I think so. He is way too young, and he is probably in the best phase of his career. But that’s the challenge of world cricket now, I think a lot of players after this World Cup might be in a similar category. Yeah, I will sign up for that petition,” he added.
Before the start of the tournament, Quinton de Kock announced that he would quit ODI cricket to prolong his T20 career and spend more time with his family. The left-handed explosive batter has left no doubts about his capabilities as an ODI batter with his sublime form in the ongoing World Cup.
Batting against Bangladesh on Tuesday, de Kock hit 174 off just 140 balls, the highest score by a wicketkeeper in a World Cup match as he broke Adam Gilchrist’s record of 149 against Sri Lanka in 2007.
The South African opener has been in sublime touch throughout the World Cup, scoring three centuries in just five games.
Before the match against Bangladesh, he had already posted scores of 100 and 109 against Sri Lanka and Australia respectively. His third century came in his 150th ODI appearance, making it a memorable day for the cricketer. With this, De Kock became the first South African to post three centuries in a single edition of the World Cup.
(IANS)
