The latest BLM controversy proves one thing: Cricket is a mess

What started out with a shock decision this week which reverberated across the country, and around the world, ended with clarity on at least one aspect when the dust finally settled: South African cricket is a mess.

The national federation’s administrative issues have been widely publicised in recent years and the national team continues to carry an unwanted ‘chokers’ tag at major championships.

The reasons for many of their problems, however, became clear this week when the sport’s leaders caused completely unnecessary chaos.

The whole controversy around Quinton de Kock was absurd, from start to finish.

A decision by the CSA board to enforce a team stance on supporting Black Lives Matter after the T20 World Cup was well underway was ludicrous. Any such decision should have been discussed and agreed upon before the squad left for the UAE.

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And De Kock’s response (or lack thereof) did not help.

I was honestly livid with him, especially when I discovered he was from a mixed race family, which made his failure to speak up even more astounding.

As an ambassador of our country and a senior member of the national team, De Kock should have made himself clear.

Being forced to take the knee without any communication in advance from CSA was ridiculous, and he wasn’t wrong when he made a stand and refused to be pushed around.

But he doesn’t stand against the BLM cause, and instead of saying that and expressing his views around the CSA board’s sudden directive, he just withdrew from the team and vanished from public view.

For nearly two days, South Africans had no idea what was going on, where De Kock stood on the matter or whether he was going to make a return to the squad in their pursuit of World Cup glory.

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So yes, in terms of protecting freedom of speech and the rights of players, De Kock had a point, and the CSA board’s timing and approach couldn’t have been worse.

But as a leader in the Proteas team, De Kock must also accept much of the blame for leaving everyone in the lurch.

His apology has been accepted, and he should be back on the field against Sri Lanka today, but the De Kock saga must not be forgotten.

It’s a stark reminder that cricket in this country is a mess, and if the sport is going to regain its firm footing as one of South Africa’s strongest codes, the clean-up needs to start at the top.

It begins with better communication. And better leadership.