da fezbet： Quinton de Kock has had four low scores but his opening partner Hashim Amla said there was no need for concern and that it was a natural part of a youngster growing up
da gbg bet： Firdose Moonda23-Oct-2014It was less than a year ago that Quinton de Kock blasted his way into record books with three centuries in succession in an ODI series against India. He was 20 at the time and just the fifth batsman to reel off a hat-trick of hundreds. What made it more special was that de Kock had managed a 100% conversion rate from fifties to hundreds that showed no sign of ending, even after he turned 21.It was only when de Kock went to Zimbabwe that he was dismissed between those two scores for the first time. And the second and the third. While that was inevitable, few would have predicted de Kock’s last four ODI scores: 1, 2, 7, and 9.His opening partner Hashim Amla said there was no need for concern, though, and that it was a natural part of a youngster growing up. “The ability to score hundreds is something that is really important and he [de Kock] is just a natural,” Amla said ahead of the second ODI against New Zealand. “He is going to go through a few ups and downs and get a few low scores along the way but in the long term he is going to be a superstar for us.”Amla and de Kock have established themselves as South Africa’s opening pair for the foreseeable future and importantly, the 2015 World Cup. In just 21 innings, they are already South Africa’s seventh most successful opening combination and are fast closing on climbing that ladder. Their blend of attack and stability has helped South Africa set firm foundations and Amla said the chemistry between them is only growing because of their differences.”The obvious difference between us is the way he plays,” Amla said of de Kock. “He plays a bit more fearlessly, takes on the bowling upfront and then settles in and gets the big runs. I just do my thing.”That thing has often been to anchor the innings, but it is worth remembering that not long ago, Amla was the top-ranked ODI batsman and his strike rate soared. De Kock’s awareness of that and maturity to adapt is what Amla believes will keep their association strong. “There are some days when I get off to a better start than he does and he has been smart enough – a testament to his cricketing intuition – to adapt his game and not necessarily attack all the time as well. If I get off to a good start, he understands the partnership is the most important thing.”But what Amla is enjoying most about having de Kock at the other end is that there is no need for deep analysis or introspection. Although Amla is known as a thinking cricketer, he enjoys the Zen approach more than he lets on and the freedom de Kock allows him to explore that side of his game. “Quinny is a fearless cricketer but at the same time he is quite intelligent with the way he goes about his business. But he probably doesn’t think about the game as much as the other guys which is a positive,” Amla said. “We’ve got lot of senior guys in the team, who have played a lot of games like myself, AB, JP and Faf. The way Quinny plays has been very refreshing for us. He can obliterate an attack.”Amla sayd opening the batting does not need to be complicated because the task at hand is obvious. “When you are batting upfront, in places like New Zealand, England, South Africa you have to be a lot tighter and your Test disciplines have to come in. But a cover drive in Test cricket and one-day cricket is the same.”De Kock’s approach seems to agree with that strategy, which is why Amla believes it is a matter of time before he succeeds again.
