De Kock issues apology after ‘misunderstanding’
QUINTON De Kock has had a change of heart on taking the knee after issuing profuse apologies for refusing to do so ahead of South Africa’s T20 World Cup game against the West Indies.
Two days after his dramatic late withdrawal from that contest, De Kock issued a lengthy statement explaining why he rebuffed a directive from Cricket South Africa stating all players must take part in the anti-racism gesture.
De Kock revealed matters relating to race are close to his heart as some of his family members are nonwhite, but felt his rights were being impinged upon by CSA, with its order only disclosed to him on the morning of the game.
“I am deeply sorry for all the hurt, confusion and anger that I have caused,” he said. “If me taking a knee helps to educate others, and makes the lives of others better, I am more than happy to do so.
“I did not, in any way, mean to disrespect anyone by not playing against West Indies, especially the West Indian team themselves. For those who don’t know, I come from a mixed race family. For me, black lives have mattered since I was born – not just because there was an international movement.
“The rights and equality of all people is more important than any individual, (but) I felt like my rights were taken away when I was told what we had to do in the way that we were told.”
While some of his team-mates knelt or raised a fist ahead of their tournament opener against Australia on Saturday, De Kock did neither.
CSA said before the match against the Windies that all South Africa players must take a knee before matches for the rest of the World Cup, and De Kock has since had clear-the-air talks with the board.
He added: “I’ve been called a lot of things as a cricketer, but those didn’t hurt. Being called a racist because of a misunderstanding hurts deeply. It hurts my family, my pregnant wife.
“I am not a racist. In my heart of hearts, I know that. And I think those who know me know that.”
De Kock concluded by saying he would like to be accepted back into the team ahead of their next fixture against Sri Lanka tomorrow.