Quinton de Kock states his case, CSA Board says he apologised and will take the knee in future

The whole cricket world is currently buzzing about the Quinton de Kock-saga and for news services worldwide cricket has been forgotten at the T20 World Cup, while the Quinton de Kock-saga, “racism” and the board of Cricket SA’s suspicious and clumsy handling of the ‘kneeling for BLM’ campaign is on everyone’s lips.

Since the news of De Kock’s withdrawal from the match against the West Indies on Tuesday broke, news services, sports personalities and the public have flooded social media with their options and speculations, while there have also been those with political agendas trying to use the issue to promote their own agendas.

De Kock threw cold water on most of these parties’ fire by putting his side of the case. He even bowled out the chorus of politically biased people who denounced him as racist by revealing a fact that was not widely known – that he was part of a multiracial family.

Finally, it now appears that De Kock’s drive behind his actions was about the principle of freedom of speech and thought, while he apparently has a serious problem with the way in which the board of Cricket SA’s order was forced on the players on short notice without any communication or conversation in advance.

The board of Cricket SA issued their own statement early on Thursday morning stating that the matter had been discussed with the players. It is even claimed that De Kock agreed to take the knee for BLM with his teammates in the future, although this is not explicitly mentioned in De Kock’s statement.

De Kock’s full statement reads as follows:

I would like to start by saying sorry to my teammates, and the fans back home.

I never ever wanted to make this a Quinton issue. I understand the importance of standing against racism, and I also understand the responsibility of us as players to set an example.

If me taking a knee helps to educate others, and makes the lives of others better, I am more than happy to do so.

I did not, in any way, mean to disrespect anyone by not playing against West Indies, especially the West Indian team themselves. Maybe some people don’t understand that we were just hit with this on Tuesday morning, on the way to a game.

I am deeply sorry for all the hurt, confusion and anger that I have caused.

I was quiet on this very important issue until now. But I feel I have to explain myself a little bit.

For those who don’t know, I come from a mixed-race family. My half-sisters are Coloured and my step mom is Black. For me, Black lives have mattered since I was born. Not just because there was an international movement.

The rights and equality of all people is more important than any individual.

I was raised to understand that we all have rights, and they are important.

I felt like my rights were taken away when I was told what we had to do in the way that we were told.

Since our chat with the board last night, which was very emotional, I think we all have a better understanding of their intentions as well. I wish this had happened sooner, because what happened on match day could have been avoided.

I know I have an example to set. We were previously told we had the choice to do what we felt we wanted to do.

I chose to keep my thoughts to myself, and thought of the pride of playing for my family and my country.

I didn’t understand why I had to prove it with a gesture, when I live and learn and love people from all walks of life every day. When you are told what to do, with no discussion, I felt like it takes away the meaning. If I was racist, I could easily have taken the knee and lied, which is wrong and doesn’t build a better society. 

Those who have grown up with me and played with me, know what type of person I am.

I’ve been called a lot of things as a cricketer. Doff. Stupid. Selfish. Immature. But those didn’t hurt. Being called a racist because of a misunderstanding hurts me deeply.

It hurts my family. It hurts my pregnant wife.

I am not a racist. In my heart of hearts, I know that. And I think those who know me know that.

I know I’m not great with words, but I’ve tried my best to explain how truly sorry I am for making like this is about me.

It is not.

I won’t lie, I was shocked that we were told on the way to an important match that there was an instruction that we had to follow, with a perceived “or else.” I don’t think I was the only one.

We had camps. We had sessions. We had zoom meetings. We know where we all stand. And that is together.

I love every one of my teammates, and I love nothing more than playing cricket for South Africa.

I think it would have been better for everyone concerned if we had sorted this out before the tournament started.

Then we could have focused on our job, to win cricket matches for our country.

There always seems to be a drama when we go to World Cups. That isn’t fair.

I just want to thank my teammates for their support, especially my captain, Temba. People might not recognise, but he is a flipping amazing leader.

If he and the team, and South Africa, will have me, I would love nothing more than to play cricket for my country again.

QDK.

In response, the board of directors of Cricket SA issued the following statement:

JOHANNESBURG: Last night, the Cricket South Africa Board Chair and two directors met with the men’s Proteas team and management to discuss the Board’s directive regarding “taking the knee”. The Board representatives clarified the Board position and engaged with the issues raised by the players. Following the meeting, the Proteas men’s team agreed to align and unify in taking the knee for the remaining fixtures of the World Cup campaign. CSA has also noted the statement issued by Quinton de Kock in which he too has agreed to take the knee and issued an apology.

Cricket South Africa welcomes all of these developments. They confirm Cricket South Africa’s commitment to non-racism. Taking a united stance against racism is a moral issue, not a political issue. The CSA Board regrets that the timing of its directive earlier this week may have been unsettling for the players in the lead-up to the match against the West Indies.

The CSA is fully supportive of the Protea Men’s team and its captain Temba Bavuma and looks forward to continued successes by the Proteas at the World Cup.