Johnsonburg
South Africa captain Quinton de Kock will take a ‘mental health’ break and skip a forthcoming domestic Twenty20 tournament on medical advice. Andrew Breetzke, chief executive of the SA Cricketers’ Association (SACA), told the ESPNcricinfo website De Kock would take time off from the game “for a few weeks”. “SACA and Cricket South Africa will continue to support him through this process,” said Breetzke. De Kock, South Africa’s cricketer of the year in 2020, returned from Pakistan last week after leading South Africa in two losing Test matches during which he struggled as a batsman and was criticised for his captaincy. De Kock, South Africa’s regular white-ball captain, agreed to skipper the Test side in a temporary capacity during the current season. He acknowledged last month he was feeling the strain of living in bio-secure ‘bubbles’ which are a reality for international cricketers during the Covid-19 pandemic. Speaking after captaining South Africa to a home Test series win against Sri Lanka, De Kock questioned the sustainability of ‘bubble’ life which he described as “unsettling”. He said then that he had mixed feelings about touring Pakistan because of the frustrations of being confined to a bio-secure environment. South Africa’s director of cricket Graeme Smith said earlier on Monday that all of the country’s contracted players would play in the T20 tournament, as well as the remaining matches in a four-day competition.—AFP
