South Africa wicket keeper batter and one of the key players Quinton de Kock has pulled out of his team’s second game at the ICC T20 World Cup after Cricket South Africa’s directive to collectively take a knee before the start of their remaining T20 World Cup matches.
Proteas have remained a divided lot with only colored players making the gesture in the opening game against Australia. Some of the white players have agreed on making a fist, but De Kock even refused to do so. CSA felt an inconsistency on his part doesn’t send a positive message across the world which is actively supporting the BLM movement. A number of teams including India have taken the knee in the tournament.
Since the BLM movement began last year, South Africa haven’t taken a knee together. The closest they came to was making a fist against Sri Lanka during Boxing Day Test. Earlier it was agreed that no Protea players will be forced to take the knee. Although, the likes of Temba Bavuma and other colored players went onto make the gesture anyway, some white players chose to make a fist while some stood in attention. However, De Kock refrained from making any gesture. The CSA had shied away from taking a hardline stance on this issue until it was left with no option.
“Concerns were raised that the different postures taken by team members in support of the BLM initiative created an unintended perception of disparity or lack of support for the initiative,” a CSA statement read. “After considering all relevant issues, including the position of the players, the Board felt that it was imperative for the team to be seen taking a united and consistent stand against racism, especially given SA’s history. Several other teams at the World Cup have adopted a consistent stance against the issue, and the Board felt it is time for all SA players to do the same.”
