CRICKET SA DROPS THE BALL

The sport’s governing body is in the headlines for all the wrong reasons after its bumbling of the Quinton de Kock row

- NASIFA SULAIMAN

SPORT has always been about more than the game. There are the colourful characters; the inspiring stories; the personal struggles; and, every now and then, enough behind-the-scenes drama to spin into an international furore.

Which is exactly what happened when Proteas star batsman Quinton De Kock defied an 11th-hour instruction from Cricket South Africa (CSA) that all players take the knee, a globally recognised gesture, before the start of their games in the T20 World Cup in Dubai in support of the fight against racism.

De Kock’s stand divided the nation. He’s racist, some cried. Shame on you, CSA, for forcing them just before a match, others said.

The incident once again shone the spotlight on CSA’s handling of racerelated matters. And again, it’s the action of taking the knee that’s landed the organisation in trouble.

In July last year fast bowler Lungi Ngidi said he’d support taking the knee and urged his teammates to do the same. His gesture opened a can of worms when several black players, including Makhaya Ntini and Paul Adams, shared their experiences of racism in cricket.

CSA then instituted the Social Justice and Nation-building (SJN) hearings, instigated to air grievances and forge unity among the Proteas.

The cricket body has said it will wait until after the hearings, which are still ongoing, before saying or doing anything. But now it faces fresh criticism of bungling matters of race – we take a closer look.

A TEAM ON ITS KNEES

Before the T20 World Cup, the International Cricket Council (ICC) asked all teams to take a knee in support of the ICC’s zero-tolerance approach to racism.