A lot of guys got things off their back - Proteas skipper De Kock on culture camp
JOHANNESBURG - South Africa limited overs captain, Quinton de Kock on Thursday hailed the recently-concluded Proteas ‘culture camp’ as a success.
The camp was held in Skukuza from August 18 to 22.
“A lot of guys got things off their back, it was something that this team needed,” said De Kock of the camp that was held to address a number of issues currently affecting the game in South Africa at the moment.
The squad of 32 included the 16 contracted members of the national team as well as the High-Performance squad.
Topics under discussion included the Proteas’ team identity in their capacity as representatives of the nation, the team environment as well as its performance both on and off the field.
#CSAnews Proteas men to gather for culture camp https://t.co/vzyGln2UrK pic.twitter.com/64xS0B3qsm
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) August 15, 2020
“We’ve had a lot of good chats which I think the team needed. Everyone is leaving feeling a lot better about the environment and about themselves.
“We feel a lot more comfortable as a team going forward, which was needed… we’re excited about going into the future now.”
#CSAnews Proteas men conclude successful team culture camp, solidify new team identity https://t.co/Ehiuc9fR1p pic.twitter.com/tg4s8vAwTz
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) August 25, 2020
De Kock said he felt it was important for youngsters to be exposed to the team’s environment before they are selected into the national team.
“In this environment, even though you’re contracted it doesn’t mean that you’re guaranteed to play, so I think it was important that the up and coming players needed to be there with the squad.
“This is professional sport and we’re trying to play the best team that we can. If a younger guy is performing and he gets an opportunity, it doesn’t help that he hasn’t been here and he doesn’t know anything.
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“We’ve seen what they’ve done in the franchise system and we know there’s a potential future for them in the team, so it was important for them to come here.
It was great to learn some views from the younger guys and help them understand the situation with the Proteas and how we want to go about things.”
African News Agency (ANA)