Proteas captain, Temba Bavuma said that they were ‘surprised and taken aback’ by South African wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock’s decision to withdraw from the team before their match against West Indies.
This comes after team members were requested to ‘take the knee’ in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and to unite against racism, but De Kock refused.
According to Cricket SA (CSA), ‘taking the knee’ is a “global gesture against racism adopted by sportspeople across sporting codes because they recognise the power sport has to bring people together.”
“A commitment to overcoming racism is the glue that should unite, bind and strengthen us. Race should not be manipulated to amplify our weaknesses,” said CSA Board Chairperson, Lawson Naidoo.
The Cricket SA (CSA) board acknowledged De Kock’s decision on Tuesday and said that they “will await a further report from team management before deciding on the next steps” but mentioned that all players “are expected to follow this directive for the remaining games of the World Cup.”
?? 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.
➡️ Full statement: https://t.co/cmEiA9JZy7 pic.twitter.com/4vOqkXz0DX
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) October 26, 2021
Bavuma responded to De Kock’s decision by saying that as a team, they were “obviously surprised and taken aback by the news.”
“Quinton is a big player for the team, and not just with the bat but the role he plays from a senior and experienced point of view.
“Not having that at my disposal as the captain is something I was not looking forward to, but Quinton is an adult, he is a man in his own shoes and we respect his decision and his convictions.
“I know he will be standing behind whatever decision he has taken. From a team’s point of view, unfortunately we had to get the job done because there was a game of cricket to be played for our country.”
Bavuma said that that he’s unsure how far this would develop, and it wouldn’t be his decision to replace De Kock and find a substitute: “As far as we stand, Quinton is one of the players, he is still one of the boys, so whatever support he needs and whatever shoulder he requires as teammates, we will be there for him.”
He went on to say that the timing of the CSA’s decision wasn’t ideal as they were told on the morning of the crucial game.
?? Cricket South Africa believes success both on the field and beyond the boundary will be guaranteed if all South Africans stand united to build a new innings based on the pillars of inclusivity, access and excellence.
➡️ Full statement: https://t.co/j9MDE1Ct1Z pic.twitter.com/WjRlZ8SmUG
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) October 26, 2021
“The instruction from the board came through this morning. A meeting was convened between a few members and that’s where that message was passed to us.
“Before getting on the bus to travel to Dubai, the message was passed to the players. The trip was for about an hour to two and during that trip I guess that’s when Quinton made his decision. I found out as the captain when I got to the changing room.
“It was probably not ideal but, as players, whether the instruction came in the morning or last night, we were going to deal with it at some stage anyway, but definitely it was not ideal.”
The Proteas still managed to cruise to an 8-wicket victory, regardless of the circumstances.
Also read:
Proteas urged to unite against racism by ‘taking the knee’ but De Kock refuses
Picture: Twitter / @willempet