Quinton De Kock, the third-highest run-scorer of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL 2022), has opened up about his short stint with Barbados Royals. He was spoken that although coming to CPL was something new to him. However, the cheerful welcome has made things going comfortable for him.
“It has been a great experience. Coming to the CPL for the first time was a new challenge for me. However, the moment I walked in here, I was greeted by smiles throughout by the team and our extended staff members. It has to be one of the better team environments I’ve ever been in, and to say it’s my first time in the CPL, makes it even better.”
Explaining the best part of the current CPL tenure, De Kock says winning the matches has been a big flex so far. Saying that he has been across several people but new connections feel extraordinary to him.
“I think the best part is that we are winning matches and are also enjoying off the field. I’ve obviously played with certain people before but making new connections here within the team has been amazing.”
“I think this is one of the great ones. It is so much fun. I had never played here before but had always heard great things about the whole experience. It’s one of those tournaments where you will never know until you come in and see for yourself. The quality of cricket on offer has been great, and you can see that by the number of talented upcoming players from the Caribbean who are performing now.”
Defining the Caribbean as the centre of natural beauty, Quinton reveals his relaxation alongside playing and witnessing the finest cricket action. Being for the first time in CPL, the South African cricketer is looking to return the next year as well. He has set CPL poles apart from all other leagues.
“You know this is one of the most amazing places around the world. You come to the Caribbean, you see beautiful beaches, great food and some amazing fishing experiences. I already cannot wait to come back next year. I was telling a few people that if I could come back here every year for the rest of my cricketing career, that would be amazing. It is such a wholesome T20 experience and surely very different from all the others.”
The Proteas is looking to reach the playoffs since every player, from raw to veteran, has been giving his one hundred per cent for the Barbados Royals.
“With the team that we have, you can see everyone has stepped up and performed – whether that is the experienced players or the younger ones. We want to make sure we can perform well in the next few matches and get that playoff spot secured before reporting to the national team, and I’m very confident.
Quinton, moreover, has mentioned that each player sets a different environment within the team and has termed them the best people he has ever met.
“It has been so much fun. It's like another level of how much I'm enjoying my cricket at the moment, both on and off the field. I’ve also really enjoyed the company here, with guys like Dappa (Kyle Mayers), Big Jimbo (Rahkeem Cornwall), Jason (Holder). There's just so many characters and everybody brings a different energy to the group. I don’t think there’s been a day where my cheeks haven’t had a cramp from laughing too much.”
Revealing the captaincy-bounded and batting-related concerns, he narrated,
“We obviously have a leadership group here at the Royals. Jason, Kyle and myself, we do input into Dave (Miller). I think we all just surround him and help to make sure he’s finding the solutions which help the team. I think it comes very naturally to him, and he’s been doing a great job. His attitude is right up there and he’s always concerned for his players both on and off the field, which is a quality of a great leader.”
“When I came into the team, I saw Rahkeem and Kyle being the openers, so I was prepared to bat down the order. It is something that I’ve done in the past at the beginning of my career, and I’m happy to do so again for the team,”
