Quinton de Kock Comes out of ODI Retirement, Likely to Play Against Pakistan Next

Quinton de Kock surpassed Jacques Kallis to become South Africa's most prolific run-scorer in a single edition of the ODI World Cup.

Quinton de Kock Comes out of ODI Retirement, Likely to Play Against Pakistan Next

Quinton de Kock has reversed his retirement, coming back to play for South Africa in ODIs. (via News Bytes)

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Quinton de Kock has reversed his retirement from white-ball cricket, and is set to feature in South Africa’s upcoming tour to Pakistan. De Kock is expected to return to playing ODI cricket for South Africa, two years after having announced his retirement from the 50-over format in 2023.

De Kock had first announced his retirement from red-ball cricket in December 2021, with his last Test match being against India. The 32-year-old, a year later, followed it up by also calling time on his ODI career after the end of the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup in India.

At the time, former head coach Rob Walter was unsure of his long-term future, despite the player stating that he might return to play at the 2027 ODI World Cup. After having retired from two out of the three formats, Quinton de Kock seemingly lost his place in South Africa’s T20I setup, with his last appearance also coming against India in the 2024 T20 WC final.

In recent times under head coach Shukri Conrad, the ODI side has struggled this year. They lost a series against Pakistan, while narrowly winning against England and Australia. This has caused them to drop to 6th place on the ICC ODI Team Rankings. 

South Africa’s struggles in the format made de Kock reconsider his retirement decision, with the keeper-batter having ultimately decided to make a comeback. He was included in the ODI and T20I squads for the upcoming all-format tour to Pakistan and the one-off game against Namibia. Shukri Conrad described de Kock’s return as a major boost, suggesting that he also brings the much-needed experience.

Quinton’s [De Kock] return to the white-ball space is a major boost for us. When we spoke last month about his future, it was clear that he still has a strong ambition to represent his country.

Shukri Conrad told reporters (H/T India Today)

Quinton de Kock boasts impressive numbers in white-ball cricket. In 155 ODIs, he has scored 6,670 runs at a brilliant average of 45.74, hitting 21 centuries and 30 half-centuries, while in 92 T20Is, De Kock has 2,584 runs at an average of 31.51. His last ODI appearance was in the 2023 ODI World Cup, where he was the tournament’s third-highest run-scorer with an astonishing 594 runs.

Since his time away from international cricket, Quinton de Kock has played in franchise leagues across the world, most recently for Barbados Royals in the 2025 CPL season. Prior to that, he helped MI New York to the 2025 MLC title, while also spending time with Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. 

Aiden Markram to Lead Test Side; Quinton de Kock recalled in South Africa’s Squad for Upcoming Pakistan Tour

South Africa announced the squads for their upcoming all-format tour to Pakistan, with a surprise inclusion. Veteran Quinton de Kock was named in the ODI and T20I squads for the series, marking his return to white-ball cricket after having previously retired from the 50-over format.

South Africa Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma
South Africa announced its squad for the Pakistan series, with Quinton de Kock returning (via India Today)

The Test squad against Pakistan for the two-match series will start on October 12, which will also kick-start their World Test Championship title defense. Aiden Markram was appointed as the stand-in captain after skipper Temba Bavuma’s absence. The 35-year-old batter is yet to recover from a left-calf strain that he sustained while playing against England earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Markram was rested for the ODIs and T20Is against Pakistan, as well as the one-off match against Namibia. With both Bavuma and Markram unavailable, the Proteas have chosen to appoint three different captains for the white-ball leg of the tour.

Matthew Bretzkee will lead the team in the three ODIs, and David Miller will be in charge of the T20Is against Pakistan. Meanwhile, Donovan Ferreira will captain the side in the one-off T20I against fellow African nation, Namibia.

Apart from that, the South African squad for the one-off T20I tour to Namibia will feature 29-year-old debutant Rivaldo Moonsamy. The 29-year-old wicket-keeper batter is often dubbed as the next ‘De Kock’, having scored over 1,900 runs in 79 List-A matches throughout his career. It remains to be seen how successful the Proteas becomes in their upcoming encounters.

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