Quinton de Kock makes himself unavailable for West Indies clash after directive to take a knee

The revelation of his decision to pull out of the game came minutes after Cricket South Africa announced that it has instructed its players to take the knee ahead of all their remaining T20 World Cup games

Quinton de Kock was a surprise omission from South Africa’s team for their crucial T20 World Cup game against West Indies, with the wicketkeeper making himself unavailable for the fixture after opting not to take the knee.

His decision to pull out of the game came after Cricket South Africa announced that it has instructed its players to take the knee ahead of all their remaining T20 World Cup games.

Cricbuzz reported that players were told of the directive five hours before the game. It came after the team received criticism for the different stances taken by players ahead of their T20 World Cup opener against Australia.

The wicketkeeper, a critical part of the Proteas’ side in the UAE, featured in South Africa’s opening match of the tournament – a defeat by Australia.

A statement that addressed his absence declared: “Cricket South Africa has noted the personal decision by South African wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock not to take the knee ahead of Tuesday’s game against the West Indies.

“All players had been required, in line with a directive of the CSA board on Monday evening, to take the knee in a united and consistent stance against racism.

“This is also the global gesture against racism that has been adopted by sportspeople across sporting codes because they recognise the power of sport to bring people together.

“After considering all relevant issues, including the freedom of choice of players, the board had made it clear it was imperative for the team to be seen taking a stand against racism, especially given SA’s history. The board’s view was that while diversity can and should find expression in many facets of daily lives, this did not apply when it came to taking a stand against racism.

^{South Africa's players took the knee ahead of their game against West Indies}

“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.

“CSA thanks all other Proteas players for agreeing to unite and make such an important public stand against racism.”

An earlier statement released by the national governing body had explained that “concerns were raised that the different postures taken by team members in support of the Black Lives Matter initiative created an unintended perception of disparity or lack of support for the initiative”.

It continued: “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.”

De Kock pulled out of South Africa’s 3TC tournament last July, in which he was due to captain, for “unforeseen personal circumstances” shortly after it was announced by organisers that the event would support the Black Lives Matter movement.

While others have previously adopted various gestures, de Kock has stood with his hands behind his back. Earlier this year, he said of his stance: “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.”

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Cricket South Africa instruct players to take the knee ahead of T20 World Cup matches