Quinton de Kock did not take part in South Africa’s Twenty20 World Cup match against West Indies, after the team were directed to take a knee in their remaining matches in the tournament.
The South Africa captain, Temba Bavuma, said De Kock had “made himself unavailable for personal reasons” before the coin toss at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Cricket South Africa (CSA) made the same announcement on their Twitter feed, with De Kock replaced in the starting line-up by Reeza Hendricks.
In a statement released earlier on Tuesday, CSA said its board met on Monday evening and decided the team should adopt “a consistent and united stance against racism” by taking the knee prior to the start of their remaining T20 World Cup matches.
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,” the CSA statement read.
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De Kock has yet to comment on his absence from Tuesday’s game, but has declined to take a knee in the past, calling it “my own personal opinion … it’s everyone’s decision. No one is forced to do anything. Not in life. That’s the way I see things. That’s just about it,” the wicketkeeper and batsman said in June.
The CSA chairperson, Lawson Naidoo, has previously said commitment to overcoming racism “is the glue that should unite” the team. “Diversity can and should find expression in many facets of our daily lives, but not when it comes to taking a stand against racism,” Naidoo said.
