Johannesburg: South Africa skipper Quinton de Kock will take a break from cricket and give a miss to upcoming Twenty20 tournament on medical advice.
De Kock would take 'mental health break' from the game "for a few weeks", said the South African Cricketers Association CEO Andrew Breetzke, before adding, "SACA and Cricket South Africa will continue to support him through this process."
De Kock is expected to return to competitive cricket in April for limited-overs series vs Pakistan at home.
South Africa's regular limited-overs skipper De Kock had earlier agreed to lead his country's Test team on a temporary basis. And during his stint as Test skipper in Pakistan, he conceded two Test matches and also struggled as a batsman.
De Kock, South Africa's cricketer of the year in 2020, was heavily criticised for his captaincy against the Asian giants.
Last month, while talking about the life in bio-bubble, which are now a reality for international cricket, De Kock had said that he is feeling the strain of living in an environment sealed off from the outside world.
Read More| India in command after setting England 482-run target following Ashwin's ton
The wicket-keeper batsman had also raised questions about bubbles' sustainability. Speaking after guiding his side to home Test series vs Sri Lanka, he even went on to call it "unsettling".
De Kock had also expressed his conflicting thoughts about touring Pakistan because of the bio-secure bubble.
Earlier in the Day, it was announced by Graeme Smith, South Africa's director of cricket, that all of the country's contracted players would play in the T20 tournament, as well as the remaining matches in a four-day competition.
However, it has been learnt that De Kock and Faf du Plessis are not part of the squads announced by the country's six franchises. While De Kock has been given 'mental break from cricket', the reasons for Du Plessis' absence is still unknown.
