Is Quinton de Kock ready to make his grade in Test Cricket?

The debate about De Kock has raged on social pages and in newspaper columns the past two days after the 20-year old left-handed opener hit three consecutive centuries in the one-day international series against India. But he is yet to make it into the South African Test team. Given his form, though, he might not have to wait long before he gets a chance in the longer version of the game.

Should South Africa have picked Quinton de Kock for the Test series against India? Many felt that his three consecutive One-Day International (ODI) tons should have given him a passage into the Test side. The youngster has been in fantastic form against the Indians and in normal circumstances, should have been picked for the Tests. However, there is also a section that believes he is too young and may need more experience in the longer format before donning the white flannels for his country.

De Kock averages 55.70 in first-class cricket and has scored four centuries in 18 first-class games, including a phenomenal 194 against the Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras at the start of the 2012/13 season. He became only the fifth batsman since the inception of ODIs in 1971 to achieve the rare feat of hitting three consecutive tons at international level. Surely those stats are good enough to push him into the Test side given his talent and the form he is in. Three consecutive ODI centuries is no mean feat for a 20-year-old. It does speak of immense talent and sound temperament. Fast-tracking him into the Test side may have reaped rewards as they could have groomed him a little earlier to get things going. Even AB de Villiers made his Test debut at the age of 20 and has turned out to be one of the best all-round batsmen in the world

So considering the performances, it is safe to say that this guy has some serious talent. What adds to his advantage is that he could be the solution to South Africa’s wicket keeping problem. With Boucher retiring, he could be the ideal replacement, also giving some much respite to AB De Villiers who was the interim wicket keeper.

Another point in his favour is the tremendous backing he’s been getting from some South African legends. His maturity and hard work has been the talk of the town. Neil McKenzie said that Quinton is a phenomenal talent and that he has not seen anybody who strikes the ball as cleanly as him.

However, South Africa have a settled line up. With Graeme Smith, Amla and Alviro Peterson as a solid top 3, they have no spot for Quinton above the order. With Kallis, AB, Duminy to follow, the only spot left for Quinton is No. 7 which is occupied by Faff Du Plessis, who is quickly establishing himself as a good lower order batsman with some match winning knocks. South Africa would obviously wouldn’t want to tinker with the batting order as it is a winning combination. Hence, even if Quinton is in the squad, it will be hard to drop someone and make s spot for him. However, the experience of being in the squad along with the greats will be a big learning achievement.

It is clear that de Kock is one for the future and he will come into the Test side at some point in the future. The talent is obvious and there are only a few adjustments to be made to it. He may come in sooner or later; depends on the amount of runs he scores in domestic cricket and the berths available in the South African side. So is it time to push De Kock into the real form of cricket?? Yes, he deserves to be in the Test squad of South Africa. The experience he’ll get at such a young age would be really beneficial for him to develop as a cricketer and become the next Mark Boucher. With age on his side, Quinton de Kock has an excellent opportunity to really ‘Come of age’ at the highest level.