South Africa tamed Windies by eight wickets in the Super 12 clash of the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup. However, Quinton de Kock's decision to not take the knee and pull out from the tie has shocked all, including skipper Temba Bavuma.
On Tuesday, South Africa came up with an impressive performance to defeat defending champion Windies by eight wickets in Group 1's Super 12 clash of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 at the Dubai International Stadium. However, it is the news of South Africa's senior wicketkeeper-batter, Quinton de Kock, pulling out from the tie, creating headlines.
FULL SCORECARD: ICC T20 World Cup 2021 - South Africa vs Windies (Super 12)
During the toss, Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma revealed that de Kock had withdrawn from the game due to personal reasons. However, later Cricket South Africa (CSA) confirmed that he had decided to pull out as he was against taking the knee, a directive CSA had issued for every South African player for the tournament.
While the decision led to widespread reactions from across the globe, Bavuma also expressed his shock. "As a team, we are surprised and taken aback by the news. Quinton is a big player for the team, not just with the bat, but from a senior point of view, so not having this at my disposal as a captain is something I wasn't looking forward to. In saying that, Quinton is an adult. He is a man in his shoes. We respect his decision, we respect his convictions, and I know he will be standing behind the decision he has taken," he said after the game.
Bavuma further revealed that the CSA's directive was informed to the team right before getting on the team bus. During the trip from Abu Dhabi to Dubai, de Kock made his decision. Bavuma got to know about de Kock's decision in the dressing room, and there was hardly any time to ponder over it, as the team had to focus on the match ahead.
"As much as you have the choice to decide what you want to do, you can't escape the consequences of the choices and decisions we make. If there are people out there who think certain people need more clarity, then the fans, the media, it's best that you ask those guys directly. It becomes blurry when you are asking guys about other guys. If you want to get the clarity that you seem to want, you should probably ask those individuals themselves," he concluded.