When will the Proteas’ self-destruction at World Cups end?

Although the Proteas showed their hand in the batting department and dispatched the West Indies with a comfortable eight-wicket win, the cricket took a backseat amid Quinton de Kock’s late withdrawal due to ‘personal reasons’, writes Alasdair Fraser.

Add the words ‘World Cup’ to a cricket fixture involving South Africa and you are guaranteed some sort of drama or crisis to follow. Or even worse, self-destruction from the national side and more tears for the fans.

I’m sure there were tears in the changeroom earlier today, because to say that the Proteas have problems is an understatement. The force of self-destruction just hours before a huge match is strong with this green and gold one, and the cancer seems to be spreading at a rapid rate.

Can it get any worse? Well, it has already. And the repercussions of this bombshell will be felt for a long time. We might not see De Kock play for South Africa again, which is a crying shame. Whatever went down highlights a lack of planning and poor management of an issue that is sensitive to all South Africans.

Why does South Africa manage to cock up during world tournaments when the world is watching? Everything in between World Cups is hunky-dory – or so we are led to believe – and then boom, one bombshell followed by another batting collapse.

First, there was that tweet, which disrespected Faf du Plessis and set alarm bells ringing. We should have smelt the napalm then already. However, the key takeout from this latest crisis is that CSA made their message abundantly clear that taking a stand needed to be in a unified statement that there is no place for racism anywhere.

This is non-negotiable, given our history in this country. I am surprised that South Africa was not the first in the queue to make a unified stand. It was the likes of India, Australia, and England – countries that have checkered pasts but didn’t make being racist a law like here in the Republic.

As a contracted employee of CSA, though, De Kock is obliged to comply with the values of his employers. He is a national player who also represents the people of South Africa. He is an ambassador not only for CSA, but for South Africa.

The timing of this, though, is questionable and once again the management of this crisis has been appalling. Why was this not discussed and finalised long before a ball was bowled? Why are we dealing with this going into almost a third of the tournament, and the Proteas’ tumultuous relationship with anything that has ‘ICC World Cup’ stamped on it?

But while De Kock should listen to his employers and align himself with their values, he has every right to withdrawal if he feels he is going against his values and being a hypocrite. I can tell you now that De Kock would have been lauded as a hero if he had refused to tour South Africa during Apartheid, or stood up to the then racist South African government as a player.

De Kock’s values clearly count to him, and although his decision will cause a major stink, at least he is being true to himself. To give up playing in a World Cup match for your country shows he feels strongly about what he believes in. I cannot for a single second fathom that De Kock is a racist, all of this should have been taken care of long before a crucial group match against the Windies.

The match itself looked like it was slipping away, as the West Indies’ power-hitting became prominent before Heinrich Klaasen dropped a catch off Anrich Nortje. The drop was even more painful without the safe hands of De Kock. That distasteful chokers tag was beginning to rear its ugly head.

But South Africa clawed their way back through Nortje’s pace and control, and for the first time since the tours to Sri Lanka and the Caribbean, both the batting and bowling from the Proteas had equal intent.

The Proteas have a potent bowling lineup, and if the batting department stepped up to the high levels seen by Pakistan, India, and England in the T20 game, then the men in green and gold have a golden chance of winning this tournament – if they don’t shoot themselves in the foot.

Reeza Hendricks was superb and Rassie van der Dussen is currently in sublime form, but the true saviour of the day was Aiden Markram. If anything, the Proteas fans needed that win. In fact, South Africa needed that win. There is not much joy in the world of late yet seeing Markram race to his 50 made me forget about everything.

We need more of that from our Proteas, and Markram’s knock will go a long way in galvanising the Proteas’ fortunes over the next three Pool A matches. And hopefully, it will galvanise Quinton de Kock into reassessing his values when it comes to representing your country.

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