Cricketer Quinton de Kock slams South Africa’s board for FORCING players to take the knee

South Africa star Quinton de Kock has criticised the country’s cricket board for forcing their players to take the knee during the ongoing T20 World Cup in the UAE after he withdrew from a game earlier this week.

The Proteas star sensationally pulled out of their T20 victory against West Indies on Tuesday after their board ordered them to ‘to adopt a consistent and united stance against racism’ and take a knee ahead of every match.

But the 28-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman decided during the coach journey to the Dubai International Cricket stadium that he would not join in, leaving Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma to announce at the toss he had withdrawn due to ‘personal reasons’.

Fears that former captain de Kock had represented his country for the last time subsequently grew.

But in a statement provided by Cricket South Africa, de Kock insists he did not mean to cause offence but insisted the gesture of taking the knee has little meaning if players are forced to do so.

‘I would like to start by saying sorry to my teammates, and the fans back home,’ de Kock said.

‘I never ever wanted to make this a Quinton issue. I understand the importance of standing against racism, and I also understand the responsibility of us as players to set an example.

Quinton de Kock (R) has slammed South Africa’s cricket board for forcing players to take a knee

Cricket South Africa ordered their players to take the knee following their disjointed support for the Black Lives Matter movement against Australia last week (above)

‘I won’t lie, I was shocked that we were told on the way to an important match that there was an instruction that we had to follow, with a perceived ‘or else.’ I don’t think I was the only one.

‘We had camps. We had sessions. We had zoom meetings. We know where we all stand. And that is together.

‘I love every one of my teammates, and I love nothing more than playing cricket for South Africa.

De Kock has regularly refused to do so, seen on the far left here electing not to do so before a T20 match against Sri Lanka last September

‘I think it would of been better for everyone concerned if we had sorted this out before the tournament started.

‘Then we could have focused on our job, to win cricket matches for our country.

‘There always seems to be a drama when we go to World Cups. That isn’t fair.

‘I just want to thank my teammates for their support, especially my captain, Temba. People might not recognise, but he is a flipping amazing leader.

‘If he and the team, and South Africa, will have me, I would love nothing more than to play cricket for my country again.

Captain Temba Bavuma (right) revealed de Kock (left) had withdrawn from the match against West Indies for ‘personal reasons’

His replacement Heinrich Klaasen (left) did take the knee ahead of their victory on Tuesday

After Bavuma’s side put the distraction behind them to brush West Indies aside by eight wickets, Bavuma said he had been ‘surprised and taken aback’ by the development.

He said it had been ‘one of my toughest days to deal with as a captain’, but added: ‘Quinton is an adult. You have to respect his decision, whether you agree with it or not. I can’t force others to see things the way I do, and neither can they force me.’

Bavuma said the South African board’s decision to impose their edict on the morning of a crucial World Cup game was ‘not ideal’. 

And while he described De Kock as ‘still one of the boys’, he admitted the dressing room had not yet properly digested the implications of his stance. ‘We have to find a way to move forward,’ he said.

De Kock has long chosen to stand while his team-mates took the knee in previous matches

West Indies captain Kieron Pollard, an IPL team-mate of De Kock’s at Mumbai Indians, appeared unaware of the day’s events but said taking a knee was ‘something we feel strongly about as a team and as a people’, adding: ‘We will continue to do it. Everyone has their own opinions on it. Education is the key.’

It is not the first time De Kock has gone against the grain.

In June, before a Test against West Indies in St Lucia, he was the only South African to opt against the gesture, later saying: ‘I’ll keep my reasons to myself.’ Cricket South Africa responded yesterday by putting out another statement, insisting ‘it was imperative for the team to be seen taking a stand against racism, especially given South Africa’s history’.

‘QDK.’