Quinton De Kock Pulls Out Of T20 World Cup Match Against West Indies Due To 'Personal Reasons'

T20 World Cup: Quinton De Kock has decided to withdraw from SA's T20 WC match against West Indies. Captain Bavuma says his absence is due to 'personal reasons'

Image Courtesy: AFP

T20 World Cup: Quinton De Kock, South Africa's wicket-keeper batsman decided to withdraw from the T20 World Cup match against West Indies. SA captain, Temba Bevuma said that de Kock has 'personal reasons' for missing the match. 

The Cricket South Africa (CSA) had issued a statement unanimously agreeing "to issue a directive requiring all Proteas players to adopt a consistent and united stance against racism by 'taking the knee" in support of the Black Lives Matters movement. 

"The Cricket South Africa (CSA) Board on Monday evening unanimously agreed to issue a directive 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 Cup matches," said a CSA statement.

The South African players were divided on the issue of taking the knee in support of the Black Lives Matters movement."Concerns were raised that the different postures taken by team members in support of the BLM [Black Lives Matter] initiative created an unintended perception of disparity or lack of support for the initiative," the CSA statement read. 

"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 South Africa's history," the statement added.

Dinesh Kathik's tweet sparks interest

Quinton de Kock not playing because of his stand on BLM movement 😳#BlackLivesMatter #SAvsWI #worldT20 pic.twitter.com/LqC76QKCL3

— DK (@DineshKarthik) October 26, 2021

De Kock was an exception when it came to taking the knee for the BLM movement. He had refused to take the knee against West Indies this year In June, he had said, "My reason? I'll keep it to myself. It's my own, personal opinion. It's everyone's decision; no one's forced to do anything, not in life. That's the way I see things."