South Africa's Quinton de Kock has hurled himself into the eye of a storm after skipping Wednesday's (NZ time) Twenty20 World Cup match against West Indies and defying a team order to take a knee.
Captain Temba Bavuma revealed at the toss that de Kock had withdrawn from the Group I match in Dubai over "personal reasons".
De Kock's move came hours after Cricket South Africa instructed the team to adopt "a consistent and united stance against racism" by taking the knee prior to the start of their remaining matches and his stance could jeopardise his further participation in the tournament.
"As a team, we obviously were surprised and taken aback by the news," Bavuma said after their campaign-reviving eight-wicket victory against the defending champions.
"Quinton is a big player for the team, not just with the bat, but the role he plays from a senior point of view... not having that at my disposal as a captain was obviously something I wasn't looking forward to.
"In saying that, Quinton is an adult. He's a man in his own shoes. We respect his decision. We respect his convictions."
De Kock had declined to take a knee in the past, calling it "my own personal opinion".
The South African Cricket Board said in a statement it will continue to stand up against racism, but will await a team report before making a decision surrounding de Kock's ongoing participation in the tournament.
"After considering all relevant issues, including the freedom of choice of players, the Board had made it clear it was imperative for the team to be seen taking a stand against racism, especially given SA's history.
"The Board's view was that while diversity can and should find expression in many facets of daily lives, this did not apply when it came to taking a stand against racism.
"The Board will await a further report from team management before deciding on the next steps. All players are expected to follow this directive for the remaining games of the World Cup.
"CSA thanks all other Proteas players for agreeing to unite and make such an important public stand against racism."
Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle tweeted: "I fear we haven't heard the last of the de Kock issue. I won't be surprised if we don't see him in a Protea shirt again."
In the commentary box, former Zimbabwean cricketer Pommie Mbangwa and ex-West Indies captain Darren Sammy spoke on the issue.
"Excuse me if I sound political because some will say it's political, but I can't shed my skin," Mbangwa said.
"I hope that the discussion at the very least can be about how to be united about something that everyone agrees on. This is also the hope that there is an agreement in that regard."
Sammy said: "Sometimes I don't understand why it is so difficult to support this movement if you understand what it stands for. That's just my opinion of what my kind have been through. There are a lot of issues affecting the world but I don't understand why it's so difficult."
Reuters / Newshub.
