South Africa makes players 'take the knee' at T20 World Cup; De Kock turns 'unavailable'

South Africa wicket-keeper batsman Quinton de Kock on Tuesday turned 'unavailable' for selection for his teams' T20 World Cup clash against the West Indies. "Quinny [Quinton de Kock] is out and Reeza [Hendricks] is in. He [de Kock] has made himself unavailable for personal reasons,” captain Temba Bavuma said at the toss. 

The Proteas wicketkeeper had earlier chosen not to take the knee nor raise his fist in support of the BLM movement. Earlier on Tuesday, Cricket South Africa issued a directive that requires all their players to take the knee ahead of all their remaining matches in the T20 World Cup 2021 and though it is unsure why de Kock is unavailable, it is speculated that it could be the aforementioned directive.

Speaking about the decision, Lawson Naidoo, chairperson of the CSA board said that it was 'imperative' for the team to be seen taking a united and consistent stand against racism, especially given South Africa's history. "A commitment to overcoming racism is the glue that should unite, bind and strengthen us. Race should not be manipulated to amplify our weaknesses. Diversity can and should find expression in many facets of our daily lives, but not when it comes to taking a stand against racism," he said in the official statement. 

What is the BLM movement?

The black lives matter movement began with the death of African-American George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer in the USA and ever since many sportspersons, including cricketers from around the world, have been taking the knee or showing various other gestures to support the movement and make people more aware of racism.

Meanwhile, for the West Indies, Obed McCoy missed out and Hayden Walsh was selected for the clash vs South Africa. Both South Africa and West Indies started their Super 12 campaign on a losing note. While South Africa were handed a five-wicket defeat by Australia, West Indies sank to a six-wicket loss against England.

Teams:

South Africa: Temba Bavuma(c), Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen(wk), David Miller, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi.

West Indies: Kieron Pollard(c), Lendl Simmons, Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran(wk), Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo, Akeal Hosein, Hayden Walsh, Ravi Rampaul. 

(Image: AP)