‘Don’t you think of family when you play overseas leagues?': Ex-PAK player calls Quinton de Kock's retirement a ‘drama’

Quinton de Kock hung his boots from Test cricket to concentrate more on his family as the cricketer is expecting his first child in the coming weeks.

After enduring a heavy 113-run defeat in the opening Test at Centurion, South Africa now face an uphill task of getting things back on level terms against Virat Kohli's India. The teams will lock horns in the second Test starting from Monday in Johannesburg and the hosts will take the field in the absence of one of their most experienced candidates Quinton de Kock.

Quinton de Kock announced retirement from Test cricket (Getty Images)

Although it was reported earlier that the wicketkeeper-batter won't be part of the final two Tests, his sudden retirement from the traditional format of the game make things more difficult for the hosts.

De Kock hung his boots from Test cricket to concentrate more on his family as the cricketer is expecting his first child in the coming weeks.

His retirement announcement drew many reactions from both active and ex-cricketers. Former Pakistan opener batter Salman Butt was highly critical of the Proteas batter. He believes sudden and huge announcement such as these spoils the team balance and wondered if De Kock feels the same about participating in overseas franchise cricket leagues.

“Quinton de Kock had been playing strange cricket for the last year and a half. He came to Pakistan as captain but did not continue in the role afterward. Now, after playing one Test, he has announced his (Test) retirement. Such things spoil the team’s balance, the selection policy and affect the captain’s mindset,” said Butt in a video posted on his YouTube channel.

"Players have made sudden retirement a drama. Don’t you think of family when you play overseas leagues for nearly 2 months? Why is it that only Test cricket comes in the way? You are playing cricket in your own country in South Africa. This lack of interest is related to league cricket," he added.

The 29-year-old featured in 54 Tests, in which he amassed 3300 runs batting at an average of 38.82.