Quinton de Kock: South African cricketer refuses to kneel at T20 World Cup despite call to ‘stand against racism’

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His move comes after the board of directors of Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced that all players will be required to kneel before World Cup matches in the United Arab Emirates.

The 28-year-old from Kock did not appear in South Africa’s game against the West Indies on Tuesday.

“It is also the global gesture against racism which has been adopted by athletes through sports codes because they recognize the power of sport to bring people together”, indicates a statement from the CSA.

“After considering all the relevant issues, including the freedom of choice of players, the board made it clear that it was imperative that the team be seen to take a stand against racism, especially given the history of SA. “

South Africa instituted its policy of apartheid – a system of racial segregation enforced by the ruling white minority – in 1948. The system was not officially dismantled until 1994.

“The Council’s view was that while diversity can and should be expressed in many facets of daily life, this does not apply when it comes to taking a stand against racism,” the statement added. of the ASC.

READ: Indian captain Kohli vows to rectify mistakes after T20 World Cup loss to Pakistan

The statement added that the ASC board is awaiting a further report from the team’s leadership in light of de Kock’s decision.

The wicket-keeper also refused to kneel when South Africa played the West Indies earlier this year, saying at the time: “My reason? I’ll keep it to myself. That’s my personal opinion. It’s everyone’s decision; no one has to do anything, not in life. That’s how I see it. ”

Ahead of the team’s game against Australia on Saturday, some South African players knelt and raised their fists, while others stood with their fists raised.

The anti-racism gesture of kneeling athletes, made famous in 2016 by NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, has become increasingly common on sports venues in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

In the English Premier League, for example, players have been kneeling before games since the 2019/20 season.

But the gesture has proven to be divisive, even booed by fans at football matches, most notably the England national team at Euro 2020.

And after Indian cricketers got on their knees ahead of their T20 World Cup match against Pakistan on Sunday, some felt players should have done more to highlight the problems in India.

Visit CNN.com/sport for more news, videos and articles “This is a really bad Indian cricketer joke[s] kneeling to support Black Lives Matter. Do these players have the backbone to denounce casteism in India? Otherwise, stop this cruel hypocrisy, “Suraj Kumar Bauddh, spokesperson for the Azad Samaj party – a political party that campaigns for Dalit rights – wrote on Twitter.

India then lost their Super 12 clash to Pakistan, whose players put their hands on their hearts while the Indian players knelt down.

Indian captain Virat Kohli said the teams agreed to “pay tribute to the same cause” before the match before deciding what action to take.

“I think it’s a good thing that they are doing it because they haven’t been doing it for so long and I can’t understand why cricketers can’t stand up for anti-racism”, Sanjay Jha, author cricketer and former spokesperson for the main Indian opposition. Congress Party, told CNN.

“On the other hand, it also exposes the hypocrisy of our pontificating on segregationist issues in Western countries …

CNN’s Esha Mitra and Vedika Sud contributed reporting.

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