Quinton de Kock appointed South Africa's Test captain for 2020/21
What's the story
Wicket-keeper batsman Quinton de Kock has been appointed as the captain of South Africa's Test team for the impending season (2020/21). Cricket South Africa (CSA) informed about the development on Friday. Notably, the appointment is contrary to the statement given by the Director of Cricket, Graeme Smith, that Quinton won't be burdened with Test captaincy as he already leads the white-ball squads. Here's more.
Squad
South Africa name 15-man squad for SL Test series
Cricket South Africa also named a 15-man squad for the Sri Lanka Test series. The likes of Sarel Erwee, Kyle Verreynne, and Glenton Stuurman have received maiden call-ups. Meanwhile, Kagiso Rabada and Dwaine Pretorius, who picked up respective injuries during the recent white-ball series against England, have not been considered for selection, as of now. The duo will be assessed in the coming days.
Information
A look at the full squad
South Africa's squad for Sri Lanka Tests: Quinton de Kock (c, wk), Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram, Faf du Plessis, Beuran Hendricks, Dean Elgar, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Rassie van der Dussen, Sarel Erwee, Anrich Nortje, Glenton Stuurman, Wiaan Mulder, Keegan Petersen, Kyle Verreynne.
Quinton
Earlier, the CSA refrained from handing Quinton Test captaincy
Earlier this year, Quinton took charge of the limited-overs squads after Faf du Plessis stepped down as captain. A few months later, CSA Director of Cricket, Smith, admitted that the former won't be burdened with Test captaincy. He also revealed the board will continue to scout the Test captain. However, CSA seems to have taken a u-turn with Quinton's recent appointment.
Captaincy
He won't be the permanent captain
Considering the same, Smith has stated that Quinton will only be a temporary captain. "The one thing I can confirm is that Quinton will be our white-ball captain and he won't be the Test captain, going forward," Smith said. "We want to keep Quinton fresh and playing well. I've always believed, having been in the job myself, that captaining all three formats is challenging."
Core
With departure of marquee players, the core remains bleak
Presently, the core of SA looks bleak after Vernon Philander, Hashim Amla, de Villiers, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, and JP Duminy retired. Notably, the latest summer saw them field a total of 33 players across formats and introduce nine new Test players. Although Temba Bavuma and Aiden Markram remain in contention for Test captaincy, the CSA appears in no hurry to take a call.
Schedule
South Africa set to play seven Tests this summer
Recently, SA were drubbed 0-3 in the T20I series by England at home. The ODI series was abandoned due to COVID-related concerns. Although England's withdrawal from the tour had put the SL Tests in doubt, SLC gave the confirmation for the tour. Notably, the Proteas will play seven Tests this summer, two each against SL (home) and Pakistan (away), and three against Australia (home).