The Quinton de Kock controversy: To kneel or not to kneel?
Current Affairs
In just a few days of its kick-off, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup has found itself embroiled in a series of cultural and religious off-field controversies.
In a shocking move, the South African star wicketkeeper-batsman, Quinton de Kock pulled out of his team’s World Cup match against West Indies, stunning the entire cricketing fraternity.
The move came after the cricketer refused to take the knee in solidarity with the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement as directed by Cricket South Africa (CSA), the governing body of cricket in South Africa.
Why take the knee?
Before the start of the World Cup series, the International Cricket Council (ICC) sent out a request to all the playing nations to take a knee in support of ICC’s zero-tolerance principles against racism.
The anti-racism movement gained traction after the death of an African-American, George Floyd, in May 2020, who was killed by an American police officer, Derek Chauvin, by forcefully pressing his knee on Floyd’s neck, choking him to death.
However, it must be noted that ICC only requested the players and did not make the gesture mandatory.
Mandate issued before the match
Before the start of the T20 match between South Africa and the West Indies, CSA issued a directive mandating all its players to take the knee in support of the BLM movement.
Quinton de Kock, the wicketkeeper-batsman of the side refused to do so citing personal opinions and views. The disagreements between the player and the cricketing board snowballed, and Quinton decided to make himself unavailable for the match.
Many cricket pundits predict that Quinton might jeopardize his future and never be seen in a South African jersey again!
Quinton’s stance
This is not the first time that the cricketer decided to keep a stance against this gesture. On several occasions earlier, the cricketer chose to be gestureless while his teammates took the knee.
“My reason? I'll keep it to myself. It's my own, personal opinion. It's everyone's decision; no one’s forced to do anything, not in life. That's the way I see things.”
The whole incident kicked out a polarizing debate on social media platforms.
Is Cricket South Africa right in mandating its players to take a stance against racism, whether or not the players agree with it?
Is it right to demerit Quinto de Kock, a former captain of the side, from the playing XI because his personal views do not align with that of the board?
If the gesture is forced, does it serve the intended purpose?
FOR
Power of sport
Cricket is the 2nd most viewed sport across the world and sports persons enjoy a rich fan craze. Leveraging their goodwill and the influencing power, sportspersons must stand by what is good for society and not mix it up with their personal views.
Racism is a disease plaguing the whole world and a simple gesture of awareness will enable larger good. Lack of support for the initiative will hurt the relations between the players and the team, and it also sends out a divided opinion to the world.
AGAINST
Freedom of choice
The playing XI is selected by their cricketing skills and not by their personal views or opinions.
Though the players wear the same jersey and play for one country, each player is an adult individual. Choosing to lend one’s support to a social movement is purely a personal call and must not be forced upon. By mandating a directive and removing a player’s spot in the side, the cricketing board is violating the fundamental right of choice of an individual.
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