Twitter reacts to De Kock's decision to not take the knee

De Kock had refused to take a knee in South Africa's Test series in the West Indies earlier this year.

Published : Oct 26, 2021 17:55 IST

South Africa's Quinton De Kock (L) and his teammate Lungi Ngidi during a practice session ahead of the West Indies match.
South Africa's Quinton De Kock (L) and his teammate Lungi Ngidi during a practice session ahead of the West Indies match.
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South Africa's Quinton De Kock (L) and his teammate Lungi Ngidi during a practice session ahead of the West Indies match.

Quinton de Kock's decision to opt out of South Africa's Twenty20 World Cup match against the West Indies over his stance against takng the knee has stirred up a debate in the cricket community.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) had issued a directive before this match, requiring all Proteas players to adopt a consistent and united stance against racism by “taking the knee” prior to the start of their remaining World T20 matches.

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De Kock had refused to take a knee in South Africa's Test series in the West Indies earlier this year.

 

Before the start of the match, Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik tweeted, "Quinton de Kock not playing because of his stand on BLM [Black Lives Matter] movement," with an image of de Kock refusing to take the knee.

Former West Indies skipper Daren Sammy, who is a commentator at the tournament, said, "Sometimes I don't understand, why is it so difficult to support this movement, if you understand what it stands for?"

 

Sammy's co-commentator Pommie Mbangwa said, "Lack of support for the initiative essentially means lack of support for people of colour within the team, in South Africa and in the world as a whole. Excuse me if I sound political, but I can't shed my skin."

CSA later issued another statement saying it had taken note of de Kock's decision. It said, "The Board will await a further report from team management before deciding on the next steps. All players are expected to follow this directive for the remaining games of the World Cup."

 

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