South Africa keeper-batter Quinton de Kock rested for third and final ODI against England on Wednesday
South African keeper-batter Quinton de Kock will miss the final ODI against England, which is set to take place at Diamond Oval in Kimberly on Wednesday (February 1). Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced that de Kock has been rested as a precaution after sustaining a finger injury.
The explosive keeper-batter copped a blow on his hand while keeping in the second game. He received clearance after an X-ray and continued to bat in their run-chase of 343. The 30-year-old scored an impressive 31 off 28 balls, in a knock laced with four boundaries and a six. In doing so, he shared an opening stand of 77 with Temba Bavuma.
SQUAD UPDATE 🚨
Quinton de Kock will not be considered for selection in the final match of the #SAvENG Betway ODI Series.
The wicket-keeper will be rested as a precaution after sustaining an injury to his right thumb in the second ODI
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The home side sealed the series with a 2-0 scoreline, registering their highest successful run-chase in ODIs at Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein. England's total of 342 came on the back of half-centuries from Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, and Jos Buttler.
Nevertheless, the hosts dominated the run-chase from the get-go, headlined by Temba Bavuma's 109.
"We want to win the series 3-0" - David Miller ahead of South Africa's final ODI against England
Proteas middle-order batter David Miller has stated that the side want nothing less than a series sweep. Hence, they will play their full-strength squad on Wednesday. Miller told the media on Tuesday:
"We don’t ever want to be a team that sort of sits behind with the mindset of ‘let’s see how it goes'. Ultimately we want to win and we want to win the series 3-0. So for us, it’s really important to still be putting the right people on the park.
"Our squad is incredibly strong and we’re always producing great cricketers in South Africa and whoever does play, I have no doubt we’re going to have a full-strength team.”
Measured and in-control 👌
Watch captain Temba Bavuma score his third ODI century 💯
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With consecutive wins, Bavuma and Co. have also kept their chances of directly qualifying for the 2023 World Cup in India in October alive.