However, Quinton de Kock, the South African wicketkeeper-batsman, has “rendered himself unavailable” for South Africa’s T20 World Cup match against the West Indies. Temba Bavuma, the Proteas’ captain, verified the news at the toss on Tuesday. Quinton de Kock made the decision for ‘personal reasons,’ according to Bavuma.
The team suffered a major setback after Cricket South Africa (CSA) issued a direction on Tuesday. For the remaining games in the tournament, the board requested that all of their players “take a knee” in solidarity with the battle against racism.
While the two instances may be unrelated, Quinton de Kock was the only player in South Africa’s opening match against England who did not take a knee. On Tuesday, he was also absent from the team’s national anthem recitation following the coin toss.
Taking a knee is a common sign of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and the struggle against racism adopted by individuals all around the world. In this T20 World Cup, many teams, including India, have taken a knee collectively.
T20 World Cup
Taking a knee, on the other hand, has become a popular way for individuals all over the world to show solidarity for the Black Lives Matter movement and the battle against racism. Throughout the 2017 T20 World Cup, many teams, including India, have taken a collective knee.
His absence, though, will be felt in South Africa. De Kock scored 255 runs at an average of 51 in the team’s T20I series against the West Indies earlier this year. No other batter from either team reached the 180-degree mark.
Reeza Hendricks has been called up to replace Quinton de Kock against the West Indies. In the ICC T20I rankings, the 32-year-old right-handed hitter is rated 19th.
Hendricks has played 37 T20Is in all, scoring 993 runs with a strike rate of 28.37. Hendricks’ strike rate of 122.90 isn’t great, but he can play the long game and switch gears when necessary.
Read more: Kane Williamson’s message before the start of New Zealand’s T20 World Cup 2021
Visit also: Cricket South Africa directs players to take a knee before every game: T20 World Cup 2021