It is most unfortunate that the lively ICC Men’s T20 World Cup-2021 is marred by largely unnecessary controversy. Has any team in international tournaments ever objected to singing their national anthem or any team objected to their rivals singing their national anthems? Definitely not, it is being a custom celebrated in almost all tournaments of this type in various sports fields. Therefore, the ‘personal choice’ syndrome never arises here. So why does this syndrome have to arise in ‘getting down on one’s knees’ for such a noble cause? In our school days our teachers ordered us to kneel on countless occasions, obviously to correct our mistakes, that’s why today we are better human beings. Do we even think of exercising our democratic option on those occasions? The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, launched in 2013 “as a decentralized political and social movement protesting incidents of police brutality and all racial violence against Black people” around the world, is fully justified. The movement had its ups and downs, but after the brutal police killing of a black protester, George Floyd, in the US in 2020, it gained international prominence, and former West Indian cricketer Michael Holding worked hard to bring it on board. . The Cricket Arena: Unfortunately, this gentlemen’s game had seen the ugly expressions of racism on quite a few occasions in international cricket, not only involving blacks, but so-called ‘coloured’ players as well.
We have seen in most of the games played so far in this World Cup, teams kneel before kick-off to express their solidarity against the evil of racism. The ICC had not issued any official directive for this gesture, but made it voluntary for the teams. Cricket South Africa (CSA), the country that was boycotted by the international community for years for its notorious Apartheid policy, has been exemplary in making the obligatory gesture for its team before kick-off. So what’s wrong with following that noble gesture, and how does the question of personal choice fit into such relevant issues at the international level? The India team also took the gesture as instructed by their cricket board, and England also gave the gesture in their match against the West Indies like most other teams.
The noble gesture was also made during South Africa’s title game against Australia; of course, without involving all the players. But suddenly and more significantly, as the match was against the West Indies, South Africa’s key starter and goalkeeper Quinton de Kock made it an issue, calling his refusal to bend the knee personal reasons. Not only did he refuse to make the gesture, but he also withdrew from the match in the final minutes which was confirmed by the CSA. This is extremely disturbing, because de Kock has also been a key cricketer in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for years, playing for the Mumbai Indians (the franchise may release him soon due to the impact) which included a large number of blacks. and ‘ color players; in fact, India is a country of people of color only. So why was de Kock never opposed to continuously playing with them, as an integral member of the team? If his ‘personal choice’ is not to support the BLM movement, then either he reeks of racism, or else de Kock is perhaps a staunch supporter of the ‘white supremacy’ theory so optimistically advanced by the former US President. .,Donald Trump. We condemn his action at the World Cup, which may ultimately have an adverse impact on his entire cricketing career, and South Africa would obviously never want to lose such an important player. The CSA has yet to deliver the final verdict on Quinton de Kock’s future, even as some media reports suggest the player has pulled out of the entire tournament, while others fear this may be the last we see of De Kock in field.
We hope for an amicable solution for all parties concerned by upholding the noble cause, respecting the ideals and movement of Nelson Mandela, and appropriate punishment for anyone guilty of being racist. The ICC, in fact, should take this opportunity to make the ‘take a knee’ gesture mandatory for all participating teams. The Council rightly forbids any kind of political or religious gesture, but in defending this noble cause there can be no hesitation and no principles of democratic choice.
In the match against the struggling West Indies, where controversy had erupted, South Africa won easily, without de Kock. In other games, Afghanistan in Group 2 recorded a big victory over qualifying Group B leaders Scotland, even bigger than Pakistan’s over India. Pakistan continue their exciting winning streak by defeating New Zealand, although they had to struggle to chase down a low target of 135 runs. England in Group 1 have also kept up their ominous demolition act by defeating Bangladesh. Both Pakistan and England apparently enjoy their luck in terms of slow bowling behavior and subsequent dew factor for the bowling side. After making history by reaching the Super-12 stage for the first time, defeating a well-placed Ireland, Namibia won their opening World Cup game against Scotland in relative comfort in Group 2.
