Quinton de Kock withdrew from South Africa's T20 World Cup match against the West Indies after Cricket South Africa mandated players take a knee before matches.
South Africa's racial history creates unique pressures on its sportspeople that cricketers from other nations rarely face. The apartheid era — during which South African sport was isolated from the world and Black, Coloured, and Indian South Africans were excluded from national teams — casts a long shadow over every conversation about race in South African sport. For South African cricketers, questions of identity, representation, and anti-racism carry weight that cannot be easily understood from outside.
Quinton de Kock grew up in post-apartheid South Africa and came of age in a country still wrestling with the legacy of systemic racism. His personal background — he has spoken about having a mixed-race family — gave him a particular perspective on race that was both deeply personal and complex. He was not, by any reasonable account, an opponent of racial equality. His relationship with the question of how to demonstrate that commitment publicly was the issue.
The Black Lives Matter movement had gained global momentum following the murder of George Floyd in the United States in May 2020. In cricket, taking the knee before matches became common practice at many levels of the game in 2020 and into 2021. For South African cricket, with its own history of racial exclusion, the gesture carried particular resonance — and particular complexity.
The T20 World Cup 2021 was held in the UAE and Oman. Cricket South Africa had been under intense pressure to demonstrate commitment to anti-racism and transformation following a year in which former players had made public allegations of racist treatment during their careers. The "Cricket for Change" campaign within South African cricket reflected genuine institutional reckoning with the sport's apartheid-era past.
In this context, Cricket South Africa issued a directive before the West Indies match: all players must take the knee before the game. This directive was issued late — on the morning of the match — giving players little time to process it or raise concerns through official channels. The timing and manner of the directive was later criticised as creating an unnecessary crisis.
De Kock had been one of several South African players who had stood rather than kneeling at previous matches, with the team appearing to make individual choices. The CSA directive removed individual discretion. De Kock chose not to comply and made himself unavailable for the match — a decision that caused immediate and enormous controversy.
Ahead of South Africa's T20 World Cup 2021 match against the West Indies in Dubai, Cricket South Africa (CSA) issued a directive that all players must take a knee before matches in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Quinton de Kock chose not to comply and withdrew from the match, making himself unavailable for selection.
De Kock's withdrawal caused a huge controversy. He was criticised for putting personal beliefs above team unity during a World Cup. CSA expressed disappointment, and the incident reignited debates about racial politics in South African cricket, which has a long and complicated history tied to apartheid.
De Kock later issued an emotional public apology, explaining that he felt uncomfortable with being told what to do regarding personal beliefs, but that he did not intend to be hurtful. He said the gesture reminded him of his mixed-race family background and the complexities of race in South Africa. He returned to the team for subsequent matches and did take the knee. The incident highlighted the tension between mandatory gestures and personal choice, and the unique pressures on South African cricketers navigating the country's racial history.
Cricket South Africa issues a directive on the morning of the West Indies match requiring all players to take the knee
De Kock informs team management he cannot comply with the directive and makes himself unavailable for selection
South Africa play the match against West Indies without de Kock
The story becomes public, triggering immediate widespread media and public reaction
De Kock issues an emotional public statement explaining his decision and apologising for any hurt caused
De Kock returns to the team for subsequent T20 World Cup matches and takes the knee
2020
Following George Floyd's murder, taking the knee becomes common practice in cricket worldwide
2020–21
South African cricket faces a reckoning with its own racial history as former players make public allegations
October 2021
Cricket South Africa issues a directive requiring all players to take the knee at the T20 World Cup
28 October 2021
De Kock refuses to comply with the directive and withdraws from the match vs West Indies
29–30 October 2021
De Kock issues public statement; CSA expresses disappointment; global media reaction
Subsequent matches
De Kock returns to the squad and takes the knee — bringing resolution but not silencing the debate
“I have always supported my teammates. I never ever wanted to make this a personal matter. I love each and every one of my teammates equally.”
“This is not about de Kock personally. It is about the message we want to send as South African cricket.”
“Forcing players to perform gestures removes the authenticity that makes those gestures meaningful.”
“I've played with Quinton. He's not racist. This was mishandled by everyone.”
De Kock's public statement was widely praised for its honesty and emotional openness. He explained that his family's mixed-race background made him feel complex about being ordered to perform a gesture he associated with personal conviction rather than institutional mandate. He was not opposing anti-racism — he was resisting the removal of personal choice on a deeply personal matter.
CSA was criticised for the manner in which it had implemented the directive — last-minute and compulsory, rather than through a process of player consultation. The episode was damaging for South African cricket at an already difficult time. Multiple former players had made public allegations of racism within the system, and the de Kock incident added to the sense of an organisation struggling to navigate its own history.
De Kock apologised and returned to the team. The incident sparked debate about mandatory gestures vs personal choice in sport.
The de Kock incident became a touchstone in broader debates about mandatory gestures of solidarity in sport. Supporters of the mandatory approach argued that voluntarism allowed dissent to become a statement in itself. Critics argued that compelling athletes to perform specific physical gestures removed the meaning from the gesture and created the appearance of solidarity without its substance.
For South African cricket specifically, the incident highlighted the unique complexity of navigating anti-racism in a country where the history is not abstract but deeply personal and recent. De Kock's return to the team and his decision to subsequently take the knee suggested a resolution of sorts — but the questions raised about how organisations should handle such mandates did not go away.
Australia vs Pakistan
22 November 1981
Dennis Lillee kicked Javed Miandad on the field, prompting Miandad to raise his bat as if to strike Lillee. Umpire Tony Crafter intervened to separate them.
New Zealand vs West Indies
12 February 1980
Michael Holding kicked the stumps out of the ground in frustration after an LBW appeal was turned down against John Parker.
West Indies vs Australia
28 April 1995
Curtly Ambrose got in Steve Waugh's face after being told to go back to his mark. Richie Richardson had to pull Ambrose away. Ambrose then bowled a devastating spell.