Veteran South African wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton De Kock is not a part of the South African XI against the West Indies. The Protean side won the toss and opted to bowl first. The actual reason behind his absence from the game is yet to be discovered. However, as per reports it has got to do something with the Black Lives Matter Movement.
Cricket South Africa on Monday made it compulsory for all the players to take their knee before every T20 World Cup game. Meanwhile, there are also reports of De Kock unwilling to take part in the same which is why he might have opted out of the contest.
Quinton De Kock Opts Out From WI Clash
“Diversity can and should find expression in many facets of our daily lives, but not when it comes to taking a stand against racism” – said CSA board chair Lawson Naidoo as a part of his statement on the BLM movement.
“Concerns were raised that the different postures taken by team members in support of the BLM initiative created an unintended perception of disparity or lack of support for the initiative. After considering all relevant issues, including the position of the players, the Board felt that it was imperative for the team to be seen taking a united and consistent stand against racism, especially given SA’s history. Several other teams at the World Cup have adopted a consistent stance against the issue, and the Board felt it is time for all SA players to do the same” a CSA statement read.
🗣 "Diversity can and should find expression in many facets of our daily lives, but not when it comes to taking a stand against racism" – CSA board chair Lawson Naidoo#T20WorldCup #SAvWI #BlackLivesMatter
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) October 26, 2021
Protean skipper Temba Bavuma said at the toss that Quinton De Kock pulled out of the game due to “personal reasons”.
“Quinny is out and Reeza is in. He (de Kock) has made himself unavailable for personal reasons” Bavuma said at the toss.
Meanwhile, there are various rumours on the De Kock issue. Veteran Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle also kept his point of view on the same.
I fear we haven't heard the last of the de Kock issue. I won't be surprised if we don't see him in a Protea shirt again.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) October 26, 2021
He took to Twitter saying that the world of cricket might have well seen the last of Quinton De Kock.
“I fear we haven’t heard the last of the de Kock issue. I won’t be surprised if we don’t see him in a Protea shirt again” said Bhogle in his tweet.
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