South African Cricketer Quinton de Kock, Who Refused to Kneel, Retires from the Sport

Quinton de Kock, the former South African cricket captain who refused to kneel for his country’s national anthem in solidarity with the radical left-wing Black Lives Matter movement, retired suddenly from the cricket world last week.

De Kock cited a desire to spend more time with his family; indeed, his wife gave birth to their first child on Thursday.

However, an unspoken reason for his departure may have been the hostile reaction he faced from cricket officials and the media when he refused to play rather than kneel for South Africa’s national anthem, which is seen as a symbol of unity.

As Breitbart News reported in October:

South African cricket star Quinton de Kock withdrew from a major international competition Tuesday rather than follow a new policy requiring players to kneel for the country’s national anthem in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

De Kock, who was named South Africa’s “Cricketer of the Year” in 2020, and who has served as the team’s captain, made himself unavailable for the team’s T20 World Cup match against the West Indies on Tuesday, rather than be forced to kneel.

The South African national anthem, Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika, combines the African-language song of the anti-apartheid struggle with the anthem of the prior regime, Die Stem, in English and Afrikaans. It is considered a symbol of multi-racial unity.

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