‘A fantastic cricket brain on him’ - Aiden Markram lauds Quinton de Kock’s form following latter's third WC 2023 century

South Africa have been in sensational form at the ODI World Cup 2023, led by Temba Bavuma. The proteas have showcased their brilliance in the prestigious tournament. Having played five games in the competition so far, South Africa has only lost one game and registered brilliant wins in the remaining clashes.

One of the biggest reasons for the Proteas’ brilliant form could be the form of ace opener Quinton de Kock. Having scored 407 runs in five games, De Kock is currently the highest run-getter of the tournament, with three centuries to his name.

Speaking of his form, ace batter Aiden Markram came forward to state that De Kock has a brilliant cricketing mind on him. Markram stated that his ability to assess every situation and play accordingly has been coming in handy for the Proteas. 

“We all know Quinton to be the free-spirited guy that he is, but he actually has a fantastic cricket brain on him. So, he assesses conditions really well and communicates that to us off the field even before we've walked out to bat. So, it adds a lot of value in that regard. And then you never want to clip his wings really. You just want to let him fly,” Markram was quoted as saying by IndiaToday.

He structures it the exact way he feels need: Markram

Furthermore, Markam also stated that De Kock has the ability to change his tempo according to the situation in the game. The stand-in skipper also stated that the Proteas are playing every game according to conditions and have been going with the best options.

“He structures it the exact way he feels need, and we back that completely as a unit. So, yeah, that's where we're at. I think, like I mentioned, we focus on conditions, we focus on really trying to take good options and wherever that leaves us at the end of it, if that thinking was nice and solid, then we can sleep pretty well at night,” said Markram.