De Kock happy with South Africa test captaincy SOS 'for now'

Johannesburg - Sri Lanka became the first side from Asia to win a Test series in South Africa when they claimed a shock 2-0 win last year

Quinton de Kock has accepted the South Africa Test captaincy for this international season only as he concedes the selectors have struggled to identify a viable candidate as a long-term solution in the five-day game.

De Kock, who leads the side in white-ball cricket, was a surprise pick for the South African summer, only because both he and director of cricket Graeme Smith have previously said the burden of captaincy across all three formats would be too much for the wicketkeeper.

But as the team prepares for the start of the two-Test home series against Sri Lanka on Boxing Day, and with tests against Pakistan and Australia early next year, De Kock says he is happy in a temporary role.

“When they (the selectors) told me the situation, I understood where they are coming from. I didn’t accept it immediately, I did think about it,” he told reporters on Monday.

“We do have young players, guys that need to learn fast. Especially where our team is compared to the rest of Test cricket.