Quinton De Kock returns for Proteas, what then of Ryan Rickelton?

WHEN Cricket South Africa announced the return of wicket-keeper/batter Quinton de Kock to the international white ball space on Monday, the whole country was sent into a frenzy, as fans were engulfed by the excitement of watching the left-hander in the green and gold once again.

De Kock had announced that he would retire from One-Day cricket following the conclusion of the 2023 ICC Men’s World Cup, and went on to score four centuries in that tournament.

With the 2027 ICC Men’s World Cup less than two years away, the 32-year-old's availability has certainly strengthened South Africa’s chances of achieving something special, winning the elusive trophy for the first time, on home soil.

De Kock will step straight into international cricket when the Proteas play Namibia in the T20I match on October 11, before he heads to Pakistan for a three-match T20I series and a three-match ODI series.

While his return has brought excitement, many can’t help but ask themselves, what then of Ryan Rickelton? What about the youngster Lhuan-dre Pretorius?

Pretorius has been vocal since his rise that he grew up looking up to De Kock, which means the 32-year-old’s return will allow the youngster to potentially play alongside his childhood hero.

Moreover, De Kock’s vast experience will be imparted on the 19-year-old, helping accelerate the youngster’s growth and understanding of the game and his own game.

On the other hand, Rickelton has taken over the glovesman role basically since De Kock’s last match for the Proteas, which was the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup final in the Caribbean.

While one can imagine that De Kock would not automatically make the playing XI of the full-strength team as the main keeper, his return certainly gives coach Shukri Conrad and the selectors a good headache to have.

My question is, why can’t two left-handed, wicket-keeper batters play in the same XI?

De Kock would have to impress in Namibia and/or Pakistan to force Conrad to make alterations in his original plans, plans that were centred around Rickelton and Aiden Markram opening the batting across all formats.

Rickelton has also had a quiet period with the bat, having scored only one half-century in 11 T20I and ODI innings during the tours of Australia and England recently.

With Conrad having demonstrated on multiple occasions that there are no exceptions to his rule, one in which players get extended runs and determine their fate with performances during the period, it would be in Rickelton’s best interest to turn his form around.

The thought of having peak De Kock in the same XI with the version of Rickelton that we saw dominate bowling attacks during the ICC Champions Trophy earlier this year is exciting.