Quinton de Kock apologises to South Africa teammates and fans; to take the knee in rest of WC matches

The Proteas batter Quinton de Kock has come forward to apologize to his teammates and fans for having withdrawn his name from the game against West Indies over taking a knee. In a statement that was released on Thursday morning, October 28, the batter stated that his intentions were not to hurt anyone and that he understands the importance of standing against racism.

Ahead of South Africa’s match against West Indies, the CSA had issued a directive. The board thus made it mandatory for all the Proteas players to take a knee before their remaining matches of the T20 World Cup. However, during the toss, the news came in that Quinton de Kock has pulled out of the game due to personal reasons. Later it was reported that it was his refusal to take a knee.

“I would like to start by saying sorry to my teammates, and the fans back home. I never ever wanted to make this a Quinton issue. I understand the importance of standing against racism, and I also understand the responsibility of us as players to set an example.

“I did not, in any way, mean to disrespect anyone by not playing against West Indies, especially the West Indian team themselves. Maybe some people don’t understand that we were just hit with this on Tuesday morning, on the way to a game. I am deeply sorry for all the hurt, confusion, and anger that I have caused,” de Kock’s statement read.

For me, Black lives have mattered since I was born: Quinton de Kock

The South African cricketer also asserted that the Black Lives Matter Movement is extremely close to his heart. He added that the way things turned out on the matchday were not to his liking which made him take the decision. He also agreed to take the knee in all the upcoming matches.

“For those who don’t know, I come from a mixed-race family. My half-sisters are coloured and my stepmom is Black. For me, Black lives have mattered since I was born. Not just because there was an international movement. I was raised to understand that we all have rights, and they are important. I felt like my rights were taken away when I was told what we had to do in the way that we were told,” the statement further read.

Quinton de Kock statement 📝 pic.twitter.com/Vtje9yUCO6

— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) October 28, 2021