De Kock bowing out his own way
If the World Cup represents Quinton de Kock's farewell to ODIs, then the South Africa opener is bowing out in style.
De Kock is currently the tournament's leading batter with 407 runs, including three hundreds, from just five matches at an average of over 81 heading into South Africa's game against Pakistan in Chennai on Friday.
Scores of 100 and 109 powered the Proteas to wins over both Sri Lanka and Australia, with De Kock's superb 174 on Tuesday the cornerstone of South Africa's 149-run rout of Bangladesh in Mumbai.
But having already called time on his Test career last year, the wicketkeeper-batter announced before the World Cup he would be leaving the ODI stage after the 50-over game's showpiece event in India.
A star of the lucrative Twenty20 franchise circuit, the left-hander may still be available for the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and United States.
Yet now aged 30, a time when many cricketers are approaching their peak, the end of De Kock's international career is in sight.
"I've played a lot of cricket already," said De Kock, a veteran of 54 Tests and almost three times as many ODIs, prior to the World Cup
Even the way he marked his 150th ODI, with a commanding 140-ball innings, including 15 fours and seven sixes, against Bangladesh failed to provoke much obvious excitement in the gifted shotmaker.
"I am a bit more tired than satisfied," said De Kock, off the field for the entire Bangladesh innings after a bout of cramp.
But stand-in South Africa captain Aiden Markram had no trouble afterwards paying tribute to both De Kock's talent and his less heralded cricket intelligence.
"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," said Markram, deputising as skipper for the ill Temba Bavuma.
Markram also added: "You never want to clip his (De Kock's) wings really. You just want to let him fly."
De Kock's determination to plough his own furrow was evident early on, with reports of the 15-year-old's debut for provincial side Gauteng against a touring Durham team saying the precocious teenager had faced England fast bowlers Stephen Harmison, Liam Plukett, and Graham Onions without a thigh pad.
"I honestly can't remember, but it is probably true," said De Kock.
That single-mindedness was also evident when he missed a match during the 2021 T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates after refusing to obey a last-minute edict by Cricket South Africa to "take the knee" in sympathy with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Not only the single-mindedness but also it's his unique way of approach both on and off the field that sets De Kock -- who has now scored more than 12,000 runs across all international cricket -- apart from anyone.
"I basically play what's in front of me," he said. "You can look at videos, but it's not the same as being in the middle."
De Kock, happier talking about his passion for fishing than cricket, also has no trouble switching off when he's with his family in Knysna, a tourist town some five hours drive from Cape Town.
"I don't touch a bat when I am at home," he said, "We play so much cricket that it's like riding a bicycle."