SA vs WI 2026: ‘The weight was out of place for me’ – Quinton de Kock reveals he hit career-best 115 with borrowed bat

Quinton de Kock has reflected on his experience of not being able to use his own bat while batting in the second T20I of the three-match series against West Indies. de Kock used one of Dewald Brevis’ bats after he forgot to bring his bats along. He struck his career-best T20I score at the SuperSport Park in Centurion on January 29.

The southpaw, who forgot to carry his willows to the venue, spoke on the entire pre-match ordeal and humorously admitted that he did not find Brevis’ bat comfortable due to its unusual weight. 

“I felt a bit stupid when I noticed earlier. I’ve got some new bags over the last year, so I was going through all bits and bobs, and I just went blank. I don’t know, I forgot. I went a bit white when I realised I had to make one or two phone calls half-an-hour before the bus was leaving [to try and get them back]. If my bats come before the next game, I will be using my own bats, that bat is going back to Brevis. To be honest, I didn’t really enjoy it. The weight was out of place for me. It’s for youngsters who swing hard,” stated de Kock, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

The 33-year-old also said that he enjoyed exploiting the batting-friendly nature of the deck, adding that he has upskilled his batting in the shortest format. 

“The wicket was very good and we played accordingly. It was really nice. I’m one of those guys that prefer really working hard on hard batting wickets, working hard from being really clever, being street smart, Tonight, the wicket was that good you can just bat. I really enjoyed my innings. It was great and we won the game. But to be honest, in T20 cricket, I’ve worked harder for my runs, which gives me a lot more satisfaction,” he added.

De Kock’s 49-ball 115 propelled South Africa to a seven-wicket win, which meant the Proteas clinched the series with a game to spare. His explosive knock comprised six fours and 10 sixes in a scintillating display of power-hitting.