During the high-octane clash against Afghanistan, with the chase finely poised at 121 for 4 in the 13th over in pursuit of 187, it was de Kock’s split-second awareness that shifted momentum. As Azmatullah Omarzai nudged the ball to point and Darwish Rasooli charged down the track for a risky single, the throw came to the striker’s end. With both batters close to him, de Kock appeared to gather the ball routinely, only to whip it towards the non-striker’s end, where Keshav Maharaj completed the run-out. It was a decisive breakthrough at a critical juncture.
“You can’t coach that,” South Africa’s fielding coach Kruger van Wyk observed later, describing it as one of those rare competitive flashes that come naturally to certain players.
Head coach Shukri Conrad has often labelled de Kock “an enigma” — a cricketer shaped by raw talent and honed by experience, yet difficult to decode. In media interactions, de Kock frequently shrugs off explanations with a candid, “I don’t really know.” It is not evasiveness, but honesty. Much of what he does stems from intuition, now reinforced by 14 years of international exposure.
What has further strengthened South Africa’s reliance on him is the manner in which he has returned from a 15-month sabbatical taken after the 2024 T20 World Cup final. Since resuming in October 2025, de Kock has amassed 448 runs in 14 T20Is, including a century and three fifties, striking at nearly 168 — significantly higher than his already impressive career rate. Once he shook off initial rustiness, the tempo only surged.
Beyond runs, de Kock’s value lies in his cricketing intellect. Though he relinquished captaincy in 2021 and made no secret of his discomfort with the role, he has evolved into a senior statesman within the group. At the recent SA20, where he featured in the title-winning Sunrisers Eastern Cape side, he embraced leadership responsibilities without the formal tag.From behind the stumps, he directs fields and shapes strategy with quiet authority. Van Wyk admitted that tactical discussions frequently involve de Kock alongside captain Aiden Markram and the coaching staff.
“He’s open, he shares, and the players respect him,” the fielding coach said, highlighting the depth of his influence.
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