Quinton de Kock: SA cricketer condemned for refusing to support BLM

Quinton de Kock has faced a flurry of backlash from global cricket over his anti-BLM stance.

By / / Viral
Quinton de kock

Quinton de Kock pulled out of the Proteas’ Cricket World T20 clash against West Indies on Tuesday, following backlash over his anti-BLM stance.

Why is Quinton de Kock not playing in T20?

South Africa’s national cricket team has, in the recent past, been meddled in controversial race relations. Heading into the World T20 tournament, the word from Cricket South Africa (CSA) was clear: every player ought to take the knee in support of the anti-racism movement adopted by world sports.

South Africa, it seems, is the only nation participating in the cricket tournament, that’s not stood united in its support for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.

As reported by ESPN, players were given the freedom to either take the knee, stand with their fists raised or stand at attention. Australia, England, India and the West Indies have all complied with the sports’ initiative.

However, De Kock stood out like a sore thumb when he did not observe any of these stances. Two days after he appeared in the clash against Australia, CSA announced that De Kock “made himself unavailable due to personal reasons.”

Social media reacts to De Kock’s anti-BLM stance

In a statement, the country’s cricket authority made it abundantly clear that all Proteas players are required to “adopt a consistent and united stance against racism by ‘taking the knee’ prior to the start of their remaining World Cup matches.”

“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,” the board noted.

Board Chairperson, Lawson Naidoo, stressed the importance of taking the knee and urged players to understand that while diversity in opinion is one’s freedom to fully exercise, it would not be tolerated “when it comes to taking a stand against racism.”

“South Africans were recently joined by people across the world in celebrating the 90th birthday of our revered Archbishop Desmond Tutu. What better tribute from the Proteas to an icon of the struggle for freedom in South Africa than to demonstrate we are working to fulfil his vision of a united South Africa,” Naidoo said.

Here’s how social media commenters reacted to De Kock’s decision to pull out of the crucial T20 clash: