South African superstar Quinton de Kock has breached his soundlessness pursuing his refusal to instrumentality a genu to beforehand the Black Lives Matter protest.
De Kock stunned the cricket satellite earlier this week erstwhile helium withdrew from South Africa's lucifer against the West Indies astatine the past minute aft the squad was directed to instrumentality a knee.
Cricket South Africa had instructed its players to instrumentality a genu up of the game.
In a connection issued to the nationalist tonight, the 28-year-old declared helium isn't a racist idiosyncratic but said his "rights were taken away" from him successful Cricket South Africa's demand.
"I would similar to commencement by saying atrocious to my teammates and the fans backmost home," de Kock wrote.
"I ne'er ever wanted to marque this a Quinton issue.
"I recognize the value of lasting against racism, and I besides recognize the work of america arsenic players to acceptable an example.
"If maine taking a genu helps to amended others, and makes the lives of others better, I americium much than blessed to bash so.
"I did not, successful immoderate way, mean to disrespect anyone by not playing against West Indies, particularly the West Indian squad themselves.
"Maybe immoderate radical don't recognize that we were conscionable deed with this connected Tuesday morning, connected the mode to a game.
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"I americium profoundly atrocious for each the hurt, disorder and choler that I person caused.
"I was quiescent connected this precise important contented until now, but I consciousness I person to explicate myself a small bit.
"For those who don't know, I travel from a mixed-race family. My half-sisters are coloured and my measurement mum is black. For me, achromatic lives person mattered since I was calved - not conscionable due to the fact that determination was an planetary movement.
"The rights and equality of each radical are much important than immoderate individual.
"I was raised to recognize that we each person rights and they are important.
"I felt similar my rights were taken distant erstwhile I was told what we had to bash successful the mode that we were told.
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"Since our chat with the committee past night, which was precise emotional, I deliberation we each person a amended knowing of their intentions arsenic well. I privation this had happened sooner, due to the fact that what happened connected lucifer time could person been avoided.
"I cognize I person an illustration to set. We were antecedently told we had the prime to bash what we felt we wanted to do.
"I chose to support my thoughts to myself and thought of the pridefulness of playing for my household and my country.
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"I didn't recognize wherefore I had to beryllium it with a motion erstwhile I unrecorded and larn and emotion radical from each walks of beingness each day. When you are told what to do, with nary discussion, I felt similar it takes distant the meaning. If I was racist, I could easy person taken the genu and lied, which is incorrect and doesn't physique a amended society.
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"Those who person grown up with maine and played with maine cognize what benignant of idiosyncratic I am.
"I've been called a batch of things arsenic a cricketer: doff, stupid, selfish, immature. But those didn't hurt. Being called a racist due to the fact that of a misunderstanding hurts maine deeply.
"It hurts my family, it hurts my large wife.
"I americium not a racist. In my bosom of hearts, I cognize that. And I deliberation those who cognize maine cognize that.
"I cognize I'm not large with words, but I've tried my champion to explicate however genuinely atrocious I americium for making similar this is astir me. It is not.
"I won't lie: I was shocked that we were told connected the mode to an important lucifer that determination was an acquisition that we had to follow, with a perceived 'or else'. I don't deliberation I was the lone one.
"We had camps. We had sessions. We had zoom meetings. We cognize wherever we each stand. And that is together.
"I emotion each 1 of my teammates, and I emotion thing much than playing cricket for South Africa.
"I deliberation it would person been amended for everyone acrophobic if we had sorted this retired earlier the tourney started.
"Then we could person focussed connected our job: to triumph cricket matches for our country.
"There ever seems to beryllium a play erstwhile we spell to World Cups. That isn't fair.
"I conscionable privation to convey my teammates for their support, particularly my captain, Temba (Bavuma). People mightiness not recognise, but helium is simply a flipping astonishing leader.
"If helium and the team, and South Africa, volition person me, I would emotion thing much than to play cricket for my state again."
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