De Kock, Morris need to step up before the World Cup - Graeme Smith

Former South African captain Graeme Smith is dejected with Quinton de Kock and Chris Morris and believes that two of his countrymen need to raise their game if South Africa are to stand a chance at the upcoming World Cup. The 37-year old, who announced his retirement from international cricket in 2014, hailed Virat Kohli for his consistency while delivering the second annual Jagmohan Dalmiya Lecture at Eden Gardens. Smith expressed his concerns on De Kock’s form after an exuberant start to his career.

Quinton de Kock had recorded five centuries in total and three centuries in a row in his first 20 ODIs, however, his recent dip in form has been alarming. Morris, who had been an exciting prospect has also been injury-prone in the recent times and found himself in and out of the side since his debut in December 2012.

The retired left-handed batsman also addressed that South Africa’s core strength lays in the bowling attack as per quotes on ESPN Cricinfo, “Recently, our bowlers have done well. We hope to squeeze a few more years out of Steyn as well, but it’s the batting department that worries me. Quinton de Kock – I feel he is stagnating in his career. I would’ve liked to see him grow up into top-notch players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.”

“And also Chris Morris. He’s a guy who’s not quite lived up to his expectations. Whether it’s a mental thing or a heart thing, I don’t know. But I really want them to step up ahead of the 2019 World Cup.” Morris, whose good performances in the Indian Premier League earned him a spot in the national team, has found himself on the sidelines mainly due to back injuries.

He sustained one when South Africa toured England in 2017 and suffered another in IPL 2018 after just four games. After missing the tour of Sri Lanka and the home series against Zimbabwe, Morris has been included for the limited-overs leg in Australia.

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