SA to show support for anti-racism

Some christians in South Africa’s squad have religious objections to kneeling, which no-one had at the 3TC game.

TELFORD VICE | Cape Town

IN a change of heart, South Africa will articulate their support for racial injustice at Friday’s first men’s T20I against England at Newlands after all, Cricbuzz has learnt from an impeccable source. The issue has raged since it was confirmed on Tuesday that the home side would not take a knee — the now familiar gesture offered in support of Black Lives Matter (BLM).

In a powerful statement on Thursday, the players explained their embrace of anti-racism and said they would work towards helping to create a better society in a country that still suffers from the devastation caused by more than 300 years of brutal racial oppression. But they did not give reasons for their decision not to take a knee. A CSA media manager barred questions on the subject during a press conference on Wednesday.

Cricbuzz understands some members of the squad who subscribe to christianity have said they have religious objections to doing so, as they believe they should kneel only in prayer. But that doesn’t square with the fact that all involved in the 3TC game at Centurion on July 18 — which featured 19 of the 24 players in the T20I squad — did take a knee. What form Friday’s gesture will take is still to be seen, but it is unlikely to require kneeling.

The attention on the issue has been heightened by the fact that South Africa have not played a match since the BLM movement gained prominence in the wake of George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police on May 25. Asked during an online press conference on July 6 whether South Africa’s players would have their own conversation on race issues, Lungi Ngidi said they would and offered to lead it. His comments sparked a backlash from white former players, which prompted black and brown former players to cite racial abuse they claimed they suffered during their careers.

Even as players in a range of sports and countries were taking a knee without objection — the practice continues before matches in the English Premier League — an increasingly heated race debate tore through South Africa: a country where race has been used to divide and conquer, and is central to the fact that it is the most unequal society on earth.

Friday’s action won’t change that, but it will help put the players on the right side of the fight to do so.

First published by Cricbuzz.