Temba Bavuma on Quinton De Kock’s Refusal To Kneel: “We Respect His Decision”
Temba Bavuma, South Africa’s captain, said on Tuesday that receiving a directive to take the knee hours before the start of their T20 World Cup match against the West Indies was “not ideal,” but that he would be there for Quinton de Kock, who chose to withdraw from the game rather than follow the order. De Kock, a former captain in all three versions of the game, opted out of the gesture supporting the ‘Black Lives Matter’ campaign moments before the toss.
“Quinton is an adult. He’s a man in his own shoes. We respect his decision. We respect his convictions “After his side trounced the defending champions by eight wickets, Bavuma, South Africa’s first black cricket captain, stated at a press conference.
The captain expressed his entire support for the wicketkeeper-batter, saying, “As far as we can tell, Quinton is still a part of the game. He’s still one of the lads, so whatever help he requires, whatever shoulder he needs from his teammates, we’ll be there for him.”
“I’m sure if there are any more discussions that need to be held, they’ll happen among the boys.”
On Monday evening, Cricket South Africa mutually voted to issue a directive for the Proteas to take a consistent and united stand against racism by kneeling before their remaining World Cup matches.
The board’s instructions arrived this morning, and a discussion was held among a few team members before being passed on to the players when they were scheduled to leave to Dubai, according to Bavuma, who provided a timeline of events.
“I believe the journey took between an hour and a half and two hours. That’s probably where Quinton made his choice. When we arrived in the locker room, we found out — I found out as the captain.”
Bavuma recognised that receiving the directive so close to the match was not ideal, but that there was never going to be an ideal time.
“It wasn’t quite ideal. But, regardless of whether the instruction came this morning or last night, I believe we would have had to cope with it as players. As players, I believe we would have had to deal with it “he stated
“The news has obviously startled and taken us by surprise as a team. Quinton is an important member of the team, and not just because of his bat. But, as a captain, I wasn’t looking forward to not having his seniority and experience at my disposal.”
The renowned wicketkeeper-batsman had previously stated that the gesture should be a personal decision. He prefers to stand with his hands hanging loosely behind his back, though he has made other gestures in the past.
When asked if they would look for a successor if de Kock refused to take the knee, Bavuma said: “I’m not sure how far it will progress. I mean, his decision was only made today, therefore I can only speak about what occurred today. It wouldn’t be up to me to decide whether to keep Quinton or find a replacement. That would be a decision made by the coach and the selectors.”
Despite the loss, South Africa won their first Super 12s match. They restricted the defending champions to 143/8 before coasting home with 10 balls to spare due to excellent batting performances from Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen.
They restricted the defending champions to 143/8 before coasting home with 10 balls to spare due to excellent batting performances from Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen.
“I believe we must continue to focus as much as possible on the team, particularly on problems on the field. If we start committing 100 percent to everything that is, I presume, being talked outside of the squad, I believe we will lose a lot of energy as players. At the end of the day, I believe you will judge us based on how well we bowl the ball and hit the ball. At the end of the day, that’s how you’re going to assess us, “he said at the end.