De Kock explained: How the South African cricketer refused to take a knee and what is happening now?

South African cricketer Quinton de Kock withdrew from his side’s eight-wicket Twenty20 World Cup win over the West Indies overnight.

The move was prompted by his opposition to an edict requiring the team to kneel before the game in a widely understood and adopted gesture against racism.

Cricket South Africa released the directive Monday after the team was criticized for not having a uniform stance ahead of Saturday’s game against Australia.

De Kock’s move drew criticism and despite the controversy, the 28-year-old has received an offer of support from his captain.

But the saga is a reminder of the sport’s difficult history of racism in South Africa and beyond.

What happened overnight?

South Africa faced the West Indies in its second match of the Men’s Twenty20 World Cup in the Middle East.

The Proteas lost their first game of the tournament to Australia, making the game against the defending champions from the Caribbean crucial.

But De Kock wicketkeeper, star-opening batsman and former captain was not named in the team.

He had refused to kneel during the warm-up matches and his absence was initially explained as “personal reasons”.

But shortly before the game, a statement from the country’s cricketing authority confirmed that Kock’s opposition to the gesture was his motivation.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has taken note of South African wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock’s personal decision not to kneel for Tuesday’s game against the West Indies.

All players were required, in accordance with a directive from the CSA board on Monday night, to ‘get on their knees’ in a united and consistent stance against racism.

“The Boards’ view was that while diversity can and should be reflected in many facets of everyday life, this is not the case when it comes to taking a stand against racism.”

South Africa went on to win the match without de Kock, his replacement Reeza Hendricks hit 39 from 30 balls as the side successfully chased the goal of 144.

So far, de Kock has remained silent.

What are other people saying?

South African cricket captain Temba Bavuma says he respects De Kock’s decision.

Bavuma replaced de Kock as captain in March after his opening partner took a time-out for a mental break.

“Quinton is an adult, he is a man in his own shoes, we respect his decision, we respect his beliefs and I know he will stand behind any decision.”

West Indian captain Kieron Pollard hadn’t realized the circumstances surrounding De Kock’s withdrawal immediately after the game, but said the team was strongly in favor of getting on the knees.

During the match broadcast, former Zimbabwean player Pommie Mbangwa and ex-West Indian captain Darren Sammy exchanged a vigorous conversation as De Kock’s absence was explained.

“I dare say Darren, cricket will take a back seat,” Mbangwa said.

“I speak because the team involved is South Africa with a history of exclusion and racism, and because this is an issue to still be here, it’s huge.

Sammy replied, “Sometimes I don’t understand why it’s so hard to support this movement when you understand what my kind has been through.”

What led to these events?

The gesture of “getting down on one’s knees” stemmed from a protest against racial inequality in the US by American football player Colin Kaepernick in 2016.

It has been adopted and accepted in the global sports community in the years since, as a reminder of ongoing racial discrimination and a demand for improvement.

But some athletes have remained apathetic or resistant to the sentiment and have refused to take a knee, as have their teammates.

A divided South African team was ridiculed after players adopted a series of gestures, creating an uneasy image ahead of Saturday’s game against Australia.

Cricket South Africa decided on Monday to require all players to kneel, prompting de Kock’s response.

Does it go further back?

South Africa has a history of racial abuse, discrimination and segregation, but the international sports community is not always united in protest.

In the early 1970s, former Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam banned racially selected South African sports teams from visiting the country.

But rebellious Australian cricket trips to South Africa in the 1980s were presided over by former Test captain Kim Hughes and including recently retired chief selector Trevor Hohns.

While the apartheid era may be over, race remains a dominant issue in South Africa.

Race-based selection quotas were part of South African cricket since 1999 and South African Rugby had an agreement with the government that half of the players at the 2019 Rugby World Cup should be black.

The first black South African cricket captain was only appointed in March of this year: Bavuma, who is now at the center of this latest tense moment.

What happens now?

Bavuma himself was diplomatic towards deKock after the match.

“As far as we stand, Quinton is still one of the players, he’s still one of the guys, so whatever support he needs, whatever shoulder he needs from his teammates, we’ll be there for him.” he said.

In the short term, the South African cricket team may be able to bring in a player to replace De Kock for the remainder of the tournament, but that would require approval from the event’s technical committee.

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But so far de Kock has not been formally dropped, with Cricket South Africa chairman Lawson Naidoo telling local radio the board is waiting for a report from team management before making a decision.

What is even less clear is the lasting impact of De Kock’s actions on the global sports landscape and progress toward ending racial inequality.