Cricket pitcher standing on his knees

Quinton de Kock has been crazy for a long time. Early-maturing talent was evident at the beginning of his career that he didn’t easily fit into any cricket stereotypes.

It’s a feature familiar to his teammates, as Captain Temba Bavuma admitted on Tuesday after De Kock’s most controversial move to date.

“Quinton is an adult and a man in his own shoes,” Bavuma said after De Kock withdrew from the South African team’s T20 World Cup match against the West Indies instead of obeying Cricket South Africa’s instruction to “take the knee” gesture of racism against.

“We respect his decision and we respect his beliefs,” Bavuma added.

Even before his first election to South Africa four days after his 20th birthday in December 2012, De Kock told the interviewer that he really didn’t want to talk about cricket.

He accepted that it would be part of his job if he did a great time, but added, “I have no idea what I’m saying, but my answers are short and sweet.”

He said he preferred to talk about fishing, which he was passionate about.

It was a mantra that he has largely lived through, although he became more comfortable in front of cameras and microphones as the runs piled up in all forms of the game.

Shortly after he began to consolidate his position on the national team, he told reporters that he did not study opposition bowlers or believe in video analysis.

“I’m just going out to play,” he said.

Nor was he obsessed with the exact characteristics of his bats.

“I’ll take the racket that’s been given to me, and that’s it,” he said during a visit to the bat sponsor factory in 2017.

His individualistic approach has not been an obstacle to success.

– “My personal opinion” –

He has achieved more than 10,000 international runs in 53 tests, 124 in one-day international and 58 in T20 International, usually with a fast score with a dazzling shot.

He has also claimed 395 victims as a skilled wicketkeeper.

His awesome style of play has made him a magnet for Indian Premier League teams since 2013, which has ensured that he is one of the game’s great earners.

However, it would be a mistake to classify De Kock, 28, as a carefree young man.

Surprisingly, he became captain in all three international forms in the last South African season, his punch collapsed and in February he was granted a “mental break” after a failed tour of Pakistan.

Freed from the captain’s current, his form returned and he was the man in the series when South Africa won the test series in the West Indies in June.

But his reluctance to kneel after last year’s Black Lives Matter movement was becoming a problem.

With no consensus reached, South African players made a personal choice as some players rose to their knees, others stood with their fists raised – and De Kock stood with his hands behind his back.

De Kock’s only public comment on the matter was during a tour of the West Indies.

“My fault? I keep it as my own knowledge. It’s my own, personal opinion. It’s everyone’s own decision; no one is forced to do anything, not in life.”

Except that on Tuesday it was no longer an option when Cricket South Africa ordered its players to their knees in controversy.

Depending on the CSA’s reaction to the team management report, De Kock’s future in international cricket may be in jeopardy.

If so, he seems confident of a lucrative future in the world’s T20 leagues, while South Africa will be left without any of their outstanding abilities.

cb / dj