South African captain reveals reason behind Quinton de Kock's retirement

Last week, the South African wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock announced his retirement from Test cricket in order to focus more on his family as the cricketer is expecting his first child in the coming weeks.

The news regarding Quinton's retirement not only left the fans baffled but also 'shocked' Proteas Test captain Dean Elgar.

"I was pretty shocked," Elgar told an online press conference. "I wasn't aware this was going to happen."

Although Quinton listed fatherhood as one of the major contributing factors to his retirement but his struggles with the bubble life were a contributing factor. 

Ever since the pandemic, things have been even more challenging for everyone including the cricketers; having to spend all your time in a bio-secure bubble has left most cricketers exhausted and tired.

The South African team has been a part of at least nine international cricket BSEs (bio-secure environments), which includes the tours of West Indies, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Ireland, and the T20 World Cup in Oman.

“People think it’s glamorous, and you live in massive houses, drive nice cars and get free clothing,” said Elgar.

“That is part of it, but the flip side is that it’s extremely demanding on personal lives. If you’re in a relationship, it becomes extremely difficult because you’re spending a lot of time away from home.

“As it is now if you play white-ball cricket, you’re away from home for two months playing in the IPL and that’s all you do.”

“If you play Tests, that’s potentially six to eight months away from home in a year. So, I can understand the toll of it on yourself, especially now that we live in these bubbles," added Elgar.

Elgar pointed out that although efforts are being made to make life easier for cricketers in the bubble but it still proves taxing.

“The people that construct our bubbles are trying their utmost to make it a lot more player-friendly now by giving us luxuries like living in a hotel with a golf course – a lot of guys like to play golf. That’s just one example of guys having a way out to clear their minds.

“Of late, it’s been a struggle for quite a lot of guys because of what’s happened around the world with Covid, and putting guys into the bubble is not easy.

“We still love what we do, but it’s still tough on a few guys. Each personality deals with it in different ways, and we’ve got to respect those kinds of decisions,” added Elgar in reference to De Kock’s shock Test retirement.