South African cricketer Quinton de Kock has pulled out of his side’s T20 World Cup clash with West Indies after refusing to take the knee.
The 28-year-old made the headlines back in the summer when revealing that he wouldn’t be opting to take the knee as he believes “no-one’s forced to do anything, not in life”. Now, as the T20 World Cup gets underway, de Kock is back in the spotlight after missing out on the West Indies game due to “personal reasons”.
Cricket South Africa has released the following statement on the matter.
“All players had been required, in line with a directive of the CSA Board on Monday evening, to “take the knee” in a united and consistent stance against racism. This is also the global gesture against racism that has been adopted by sportspeople across sporting codes because they recognise the power of sport to bring people together.”
?? Cricket South Africa (CSA) has noted the personal decision by South African wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock not to “take the knee” ahead of Tuesday’s game against the West Indies.
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) October 26, 2021
➡️ Full statement: https://t.co/cmEiA9JZy7 pic.twitter.com/4vOqkXz0DX
“The Board will await a further report from team management before deciding on the next steps. All players are expected to follow this directive for the remaining games of the World Cup.”
Fans question de Kock’s decision
There’s been a great deal of scrutiny put on de Kock as a result of his decision not to take the knee and, on the flip side, some have said nobody should be “forced” to engage in the action if they don’t wish to do so.
Above all else, the intention of everyone involved, regardless of their political stance, needs to be combatting racism in sport and society as a whole. Instead, there are players, commentators and fans across all platforms who insist on veering away from the point at hand altogether.
West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite was also confused by de Kock’s decision and would’ve liked the chance to speak further with him on the issue.
“I know Quinton de Kock quite well and I have never felt any bad blood or bad vibe from him. We get on very well but I want to know from him what his reason was.
“There are a lot of conversations and a lot of education that still has to happen around why you take the knee, what it signifies, but, more importantly for things to change in society, taking a knee has to be a start and not the be all and end all.
“Why wasn’t this planned better? Why wasn’t there a meeting or a directive before the tournament to let everyone know that this is where Cricket South Africa stands?”
Featured image credit: Getty