Quinton de Kock Enters Shahid Afridi’s Club of Repeat Retirements
Quinton de Kock reverses his ODI retirement and is included in South Africa’s squad for the Pakistan series. He had retired after South Africa’s 2023 World Cup semi-final loss to focus on T20 cricket.
Quinton de Kock reverses his ODI retirement and is included in South Africa’s squad for the Pakistan series. He had retired after South Africa’s 2023 World Cup semi-final loss to focus on T20 cricket. De Kock joins the list of players who returned from retirement, including Shahid Afridi, Kevin Pietersen, Ben Stokes, and Tamim Iqbal. Each of these players previously announced retirements from ODIs or international cricket but later came back to play.
South Africa’s finest wicket-keeper in this generation, Quinton de Kock, has represented the team for more than a decade and but after the team's knockout from the ICC World Cup 2023, when they lost the semi-final match against Australia, de Kock announced his retirement from the ODI format, continuing to focus on the other T20I format.
Just when , things took a dramatic turn and with South Africa announcing its squad for the ODI series against Pakistan, Quinton de Kock had his name included in the list, and he has now reversed his retirement. With de Kock coming back to the international side, it is likely that he is aiming for the World Cup.
Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo
The ODI series between South Africa and Pakistan begins on 4 November 2025, as fans would finally see de Kock in the Green jersey. However, it should be noted that Quinton de Kock is not the only player who has reversed his retirement from the international format; instead, he has joined the list with various other stars.
1. Shahid Afridi
Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi is known for taking the highest number of retirements, as he retired from the game in 2006, 2010, 2011, 2014, and finally in 2017 and with five retirements in 11 years, Afridi always found his way back to the Pakistani team for some reason or the other.
Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo
First, he announced his retirement from the Test format in 2006, but played again within the next few months. Later, he also announced his ODI retirement, but was a part of the Pakistani team in the 2011 World Cup and 2015 World Cup, respectively.
2. Kevin Pietersen
One of the best English batters, Kevin Pietersen, is also in the elite list of players who reversed their retirements and Kevin Pietersen announced his retirement from the ODI and T20I formats in May 2012, as he wanted to give youngsters a chance to represent England in the World Cup.
Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo
But his retirement time was short-lived, as in August 2012, he took back his retirement from the limited-overs format, saying that he had changed his heart and wanted to represent England once again. Pietersen went on to play for England till 2014, before he was permanently excluded from the team and retired in 2018.
3. Ben Stokes
The English all-rounder, Ben Stokes, who played a vital role in the team's win in the ICC World Cup 2019 finals against New Zealand, also stands in the list of players who took back their retirements and Stokes announced his retirement only from the ODI format, citing the persistent issues he faces with his knee.
Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo
But within a few months, he took back his retirement and also went on to play the World Cup 2023 for England. Although England had a poor run in the tournament, Stokes is still a part of the team in the ODI format and seems to represent them once again in the 2027 World Cup.
4. Tamim Iqbal
Tamim Iqbal, the Bangladeshi cricketer, also stands in the long list of players to have reversed their retirements. Iqbal announced his retirement from international cricket in 2023, as he decided to make way for the younger players in the international team.
Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo
However, his retirement was reversed within 24 hours, as the Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, along with other officials intervened in this matter. Tamim Iqbal continued to play for Bangladesh for a few more years, till he finally announced his retirement in January 2025, just weeks before the Champions Trophy.
0
0
0
0
0
0
Comments
Sign up or log in to your account to leave comments and reactions
0 Comments