Should the Proteas Consult a Sangoma to Ward Off Their ICC Tournament Curse?
Quinton de Kock has suggested that the Proteas should visit a sangoma or witch doctor before the next ICC event.
De Kock says the ODI World Cup semi-final defeat was particularly hard to accept.
SHOULD THE PROTEAS VISIT A SANGOMA?
The defeat was inexplicable to De Kock, prompting his suggestion that they might just be cursed.
De Kock explained that it was the kind of loss that lingers in your mind.
“Yeah, the defeat hurts. We played such good cricket, and to lose in the semis…suddenly you ask yourself, just if you did one or two things better, would you have actually won the game? It was a very low-scoring game but had a lot of wickets, making for an exciting match, but unfortunately, we couldn’t come out on top,” De Kock told RevSports.
“Obviously, it’s quite disappointing, knowing that we played against the odds early in the tournament and we killed them. So, we had a lot of confidence going into that game. But I just don’t know. I think South African cricketers need to see a witch doctor before they play any cricket World Cups ever again. It’s a hard pill to swallow.”
NOT A CONTRACT SNUB, DE KOCK DIDN’T WANT A NEW CENTRAL DEAL
De Kock also hinted that CSA tried to offer him a contract just for T20Is, but he felt it didn’t make sense for him.
“No, I never wanted a contract.
“I just want to go out and play cricket.
“I don’t want to be contracted to anyone anymore.
“I just want to play cricket on my own terms.
“And it makes no sense.
“Even if they offered me a contract, which they have tried, it makes no sense to me to sign a contract just for one format, that, too, for a World Cup which is every two years,” De Kock said.
“I’m older in my career. Rather get a youngster in and invest in youngsters, who could replace me in my spot for other formats. If I was thinking about cricketing terms, that’s what I would do.”
T20 WORLD CUP PLACE ON THE LINE
De Kock understands that he will need to earn a place in the T20 World Cup squad.
“He will be available for the T20 World Cup but he understands he needs to perform. He wants to earn his place,” CSA director of cricket Enoch Nkwe said, as per ESPN Cricinfo.
Proteas white-ball coach Rob Walter believes there is a need to balance international cricket with T20 league commitments.
“We are living in an ever-changing world of cricket, where the league space is strong and becoming powerful,” Walter told Sport24.
“The pull on players to be available for national teams as well as leagues [is a challenge] … and there’s an inevitable clashing between those two.
“It’s happened and will continue to happen. The most important thing is to manage the whole situation and try and understand the player’s needs, especially as we lead up to the World Cup.
“The benefit of it is that our players will be playing strong T20 cricket in the lead-up to the World Cup.”
