South African wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock pulled out of his side’s eight-wicket T20 World Cup win over the West Indies in the ongoing T20 World Cup.
The move was prompted by his opposition to an edict that the team was to kneel before the game in the widely understood and adopted gesture against racism.
De Kock’s move has drawn criticism, and despite the controversy the 28-year-old has received an offer of support from his captain. However, the incident is a reminder of sports’ difficult history with racism in South Africa and beyond.
What happened overnight?
South Africa was up against the West Indies in its second match of the men’s Twenty20 World Cup in the UAE. The Proteas lost their first game of the tournament to Australia, making the match against the defending champions crucial.
De Kock — wicketkeeper, star opening batsman and former captain — was not named in the team. He had declined to take a knee in warm-up matches and his absence was initially explained as being for “personal reasons”.
However, shortly before the game, a statement from the country’s cricket authority confirmed de Kock’s opposition to the gesture was his motivation. “Cricket South Africa (CSA) has noted the personal decision by South African wicket keeper Quinton de Kock not to ‘take the knee’ ahead of Tuesday’s game,” it read.
“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,” the statement added.
What is the meaning behind taking the knee?
‘Taking the knee’ is a symbolic statement against racism where an individual kneels upon one knee as against standing in attention. More recently, people across the world have started taking the knee in solidarity with ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests which was in response to the murder of 46-year-old African American George Floyd.
It has been adopted and accepted in the global sport community in the years since as a reminder of ongoing racial discrimination. However, some athletes have remained apathetic or resistant to the sentiment and have refused to take a knee.
A divided South African team was ridiculed after players adopted a range of gestures, creating an awkward image before Saturday’s game against Australia. Cricket South Africa decided on Monday to mandate that all players must take a knee, prompting the reaction from de Kock.
South Africa’s racism history
South Africa has a history of racial abuse, discrimination and segregation but the international sport community has not always been united in protest.
Beginning in the early 1970s, former Australian prime minister Gough Whitlam banned racially selected South African sporting teams from visiting the country.
However, rebel Australian cricket tours to South Africa in the 1980s went ahead led by former Test captain Kim Hughes and including recently retired chief selector Trevor Hohns. While the period of apartheid may have ended, race remains a dominant issue in South Africa.
Quotas for selection based on race have been part of South African cricket since 1999 and South African rugby had an agreement with the government that half the players at the 2019 Rugby World Cup should be black.
The first black South African cricket captain was appointed only in March this year: Bavuma, who is now central in this latest moment of tension.
De Kock apologises
On Thursday, Quinton de Kock apologised for pulling out of Tuesday’s T20 World Cup win over the West Indies after rejecting Cricket South Africa (CSA) directive.
In a statement, De Kock, who also revealed he has mixed-race family, said he meant no disrespect and “would love nothing more than to play cricket for my country again”.
“I understand the importance of standing against racism, and I also understand the responsibility of us as players to set an example,” De Kock said, adding, “If me taking a knee helps to educate others, and makes the lives of others better, I am more than happy to do so.”
“I did not, in any way, mean to disrespect anyone. I’m deeply sorry for all the hurt, confusion and anger that I have caused,” the cricketer added.
