Proteas batsman Quinton de Kock has risen four places to reach a career-high spot in the ICC Men’s T20 Batting Rankings.

De Kock’s promotion to eighth in the batting rankings follows his recent success in Sri-Lanka.

The 28-year-old was a standout performer in the Proteas’ recent 3-0 T20I series win over Sri-Lanka, with an aggregate of 153 runs.

De Kock was especially impressive in the third match, scoring 59 off 46 balls to inspire the Proteas to a 10-wicket victory.

Commenting on De Kock’s form, head coach Mark Boucher said it’s clear the batsman will play a pivotal role in South Africa’s T20 World Cup campaign next month.

“Quinny has been in great form. He has obviously gone through a bit of a tough time after Pakistan, but he’s come in and has been fantastic in the team environment,” Boucher said.

“We all know the player that Quinny is. So, you can’t keep a player like that down for too long. I think he is in a very happy space at the moment. We missed him in the one-day set-up.

“I am happy we gave him a little bit of time off after The Hundred to rest up a little bit, spending some time playing golf or whatever he does.

“Then he came in and rewarded us with that break as well. He’s a big name going into the World Cup … him being in the form that he is … and good to see that he’s carrying his bat through as well. He is showing a lot of responsibility, which is fantastic.

“From a coach’s perspective, it’s great to see him in form. He’ll be a big name for us in the World Cup.”

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