South African goalkeeper batsman Quinton Decock apologized to his teammates and fans on Thursday for his decision to withdraw from the West Indies in the ongoing Super 12 stage of the ICC T20 World Cup. de Kock explained the reasons behind his decision in a statement, which was posted on Twitter by Cricket South Africa. De Cock once said that if he could “help educate others and make their lives better”, he was “very happy” to kneel down.

This is Quinton De Cock’s complete statement” “I want to first apologize to my teammates and the fans returning home. I never wanted this to be a problem for Quinton. I understand the importance of fighting racism, and I also understand our responsibility as players to give an example. If kneeling helps educate others and make their lives better, I would be happy to do so. In any case, I did not play against the West Indies, especially the West Indies itself.

This does not mean that no one is respected. Some people may not understand that we were hit by this problem on the way to the game on Tuesday morning. I apologize for all the hurt, confusion, and anger that I caused. Until now, I have remained silent on this very important issue. But I think I have explained a little bit. For those who don’t know, I come from a mixed family. My half-sister is of color, and my stepmother is black.

For me, the life of black people has been very important since I was born. It’s not just because there is an international movement. The rights and equality of all people are more important than any individual. I have understood since I was young that we all have rights, and these rights are very important. When I was told that we had to do it the way we were told, I felt that my rights were taken away. Since we chatted with the board last night, very emotional, I think we also have a better understanding of their intentions.

I hope this will happen sooner, because what happened on match day could have been avoided. I know I want to set an example. We have been told before that we can choose to do what we want to do. I choose to leave my ideas to myself, thinking of the pride of playing for my family and my country.

News Source : NDTV