3 Players who might keep wickets for South Africa after Quinton de Kock’s retirement

Cricket enthusiasts worldwide were shocked a few weeks ago when Quinton de Kock revealed his plan to retire from One Day Internationals (ODIs) following the 2023 World Cup in India. De Kock’s announcement was unexpected, given his outstanding abilities and significant role in the South African national team. Notably, the 30-year-old had already retired from Test cricket two years earlier. 

However, the show must go on and hence the South African team management would be looking at options for the times to come. Let us look at three Players who might keep wickets for South Africa after de Kock’s retirement;

1. Heinrich Klaasen

One of the first and foremost replacements of the 30-year-old de Kock will be Heinrich Klaasen. Klaasen is a dynamic wicketkeeper-batter, initially filling in for Quinton de Kock due to injury but secured his place in South Africa’s limited-overs middle order. He boasts impressive statistics against spin bowling, making him a sought-after player in T20 franchises. While he made his Test debut in 2019, Test opportunities have been limited. Klaasen earned a national contract in 2021 and captained a second-string T20I side in Pakistan.

Lately, the wicketkeeper batter is also fine-tuned and has been blasting the bowling with some sheer power hitting.

2. Ryan Rickelton

Another option is Ryan Rickelton who is a promising cricketer and has been associated with Gauteng since 2015. He boasts an impressive first-class cricket average of 45.75 and has scored five centuries in the format. Despite starting with a duck in his debut first-class innings, Rickelton displayed resilience, bouncing back with determined and courageous performances in subsequent innings. He has been a leading run-scorer in several tournaments for Gauteng, including the 2017–18 CSA Provincial One-Day Challenge and the 2017–18 Sunfoil 3-Day Cup, where he amassed 351 and 562 runs, respectively. His ability to convert fifties into big scores remains an area for improvement.

3. Matthew Breetzke

Another option that the South African team management will be looking at is Matthew Breetzke who has been there with the South African A team for some time now. The 24-year-old has played 46 First Class matches and scored more than 2700 runs with a highest score of 152 runs and also placed in 50 List A games and scored 1388 runs.