Sri Lanka to remain neutral in ‘BLM’ movement
Quinton de Cock took the knee in the game against Sri Lanka yesterday - Pic by Sameera Peiris in Sharjah
Quinton de Kock’s decision to skip his T20 World Cup game against West Indies was greeted with mixed feelings with some showing strong disapproval while others, like the former England skipper, Michael Vaughan, who called on the South African Board to respect a player’s personal wishes.
De Kock was under fire when he refused to take a knee in support of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ (BLM) movement. He would’ve played no further part in the tournament–Cricket South Africa’s directive was valid for the entirety of it–had he not apologised to his teammates for not showing solidarity and for pulling out of the match.
Yesterday, when he returned to play against Sri Lanka, he took a knee along with his other teammates while Sri Lanka’s players stood poker still, making no gesture at all behind the boundary line.
Following last year’s BLM protests in the United States, cricket teams the world over have taken a knee before contests. Some of these were voluntary while others were ordered by their respective Boards to support the movement that started against widespread racism.
However, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has directed its players to be neutral as they wanted “to be non-political” and “non-controversial”.
“Our stance has been very clear,” said its CEO Ashley de Silva.
“We will remain neutral and we expect the players to follow the same line.”
When the opposing teams make the gesture, Sri Lankan players have been asked to stand still. This has been Sri Lanka’s position ever since the movement gathered momentum two years ago and, said de Silva, it will not change.
“There’s no need for us to take a special stance,” said Dasun Shanaka, Sri Lankan skipper.
“We don’t have any racism issues in Sri Lanka as we live in peace.”
During the World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, most teams, including Australia, South Africa, West Indies, England, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, showed their solidarity with BLM.
Indian and Pakistan cricketers took the knee during their opening game which Pakistan won by 10-wickets in Dubai.
India captain Virat Kohli said his team’s gesture before the T20 World Cup game against Pakistan was guided by a communication from the “management” after Pakistan agreed to pay a tribute of its own. It was the first time that Kohli’s men did this.
“That was communicated to us by the management,” Kohli was quoted as saying after the match on Sunday night.
“The Pakistan team agreed to pay their tribute towards the same cause, and then we accepted our side of things, as well. Yeah, that’s how it was decided.”
Pakistan players, did not take a knee or raised a fist but paid a tribute by holding their right hand to their heart. The Indian team was making the gesture for the first time.
The English cricketers even wanted to wear a special T-shirt displaying a message of unity during their game against Bangladesh but the International Cricket Council refused their request saying it defied kit regulation following which their players took the knee.
England and the West Indies teams, along with the match officials, were the first teams to take a knee last summer during their three-match Test series.