Quinton de Kock missed team camaraderie and representing South Africa as Proteas brace for in second T20I in Lahore

Proteas wicket-keeper batter Quinton de Kock opened up to the media on Thursday about his reasons to reverse his retirement in white-ball cricket, citing that he missed the camaraderie of being a part of the Proteas team.

De Kock made a shocking reversal of his retirement decision in white ball cricket last month, essentially availing himself for the Proteas in ODIs and T20Is effective immediately.

Proteas coach Shukri Conrad brought him back into the squad for the first time during the once-off T20I against Namibia earlier this month.

De Kock is currently with the Proteas T20I squad in Pakistan, competing in the three-match series - the Proteas are leading 1-0 after their 55-run victory in the first T20I in Rawalpindi earlier this week.

For someone who is usually shy in front of the media, the 32-year-old opened up about his decision to return to international cricket.

“I think what I missed the most is the camaraderie and also just the whole thing of representing the Proteas. I think I've played so much for the Proteas over the years, I kind of forgot about that niche as a kid that's grown up to be a Proteas cricketer,” De Kock told the media on Thursday. 

“I think after having a bit of a break from the team, I think that childhood dream kind of came back. That's one of the big things that I missed about representing this team or playing for the Proteas.

“Coming back, I've really enjoyed all the new faces. The last time I left, there's probably a handful of the guys who are still here. Now I'm playing with a whole bunch of youngsters, new guys, new coaching staff, so it's quite refreshing.

“I’m making some new friends now, kind of like a new style, I can say, within the team. So, it's been cool being back, and I’m just trying to find my feet."

In his return to international cricket, De Kock finds himself as one of the oldest players in the squad, a feat he is not familiar with, having spent the majority of his career as one of the younger players in the team.

The left-handed batter looks to play the senior player role in the team, a role that former Proteas fast bowler Dale Steyn played when De Kock was new in the Proteas team.

With youngsters such as Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Dewald Brevis and Nqaba Peter in the current Proteas team, De Kock’s experience is invaluable.

“When I started, one of the big guys that I stuck close to is now one of my very good friends, Dale Steyn. He taught me a couple of lessons along the way that really helped my career. To this day, we're very tight friends,” De Kock said. 

“I’ve only been here for a week. I've played with Brevis before at Titans. I just met Lhuan-dre and a couple of the new guys. So, I’m still trying to befriend everyone here.

“Since I've come back a couple of the youngsters have been asking me questions and how to improve their game. So, I'm happy to be here and help where I can, kind of like what Dale did for me. If I make an impact in their careers, it will be great.

“It's very different, me coming back as one of the older guys. I've always been used to being one of the young guys in the team. The other day, we were talking about it, myself and Reeza.

“It felt like the other day, we were just playing under-19 cricket, and now we're the two oldest guys in the team or in the whole Proteas squad. So it's quite a bit of a shell shock.”

De Kock looked crisp in the first T20I in Rawalpindi, scoring 23 off 13. He told told the media that he enjoyed what was his second innings since his return and that they are focused on taking an unassailable 2-0 series lead during the second T20I in Lahore on Friday.

“It was great being back out there with the team. It's quite nice that my opening partner was Reeza, someone whom I've batted with for a while,” he said. 

“So, it kind of felt like I just slotted back in with him being there on the other side and not someone that I'm not used to. So that was quite nice. In the camp, we are pretty relaxed.

“Obviously, we were very excited. We won our first T20 here in Pakistan. But it's not the series win. So for the moment, we're still very relaxed. And hopefully tomorrow we can just make sure we get the series done.”

The second T20I is set to get underway at 5pm SAST in Lahore on Friday.