Quinton de Kock has yet to comment on his refusal to take a knee to promote the Black Lives Matter protest, raising further questions about the former South African skipper’s motives.
De Kock withdrew from the South African team after the squad was directed to take a knee by the game’s governing body in the country.
Images of players with their hands behind their back prior to South Africa’s match against Australia on Saturday led to Cricket South Africa calling on all players to take a knee, resulting in de Kock making himself unavailable for the match against the West Indies.
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However, sources with knowledge of the situation claim de Kock’s reluctance to take part in the protest was aimed at Cricket South Africa and their directive to have all players take part.
De Kock has had a touchy relationship with the nation’s cricket governing body in recent times, following CSA’s decision in March to strip him of the captaincy across all three formats.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, de Kock expected to remain at the helm of the limited overs teams. However, head selector Victor Mpitsang said he had not been sacked from the role and there was an agreement for him to step away from the captaincy.
The Guardian reports the reason why de Kock has not made a statement yet is because crisis talks are ongoing within the team.
The South African Cricketer’s Association backed de Kock, saying Cricket South Africa’s mandate caused a “crisis”.
“This issue should have been dealt with a while ago and not at an ICC event, where it is a crisis,” SACA CEO Andrew Breetzke said, according to ESPN Cricinfo.
South Africa’s next game is against Sri Lanka on Saturday.
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