Quinton De Kock’s stand on Black Lives Matter reason for not playing, says Dinesh Karthik
Dubai, Oct 26: Cricket South Africa on Tuesday ordered its players to take the knee before their T20 World Cup matches in support of the 'Black Lives Matter' movement, a directive that led to Quinton de Kock withdrawing from the game against the West Indies and laying bare the growing internal tension on the matter.
In a shocking move, wicketkeeper-batter de Kock made himself unavailable for selection in South Africa's Group 1 Super 12 stage match against the West Indies in Dubai on Tuesday, his decision coming after the CSA's diktat.
The board said it will await a report from the management before deciding on the next move.
"Cricket South Africa (CSA) has noted the personal decision by South African wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock not to "take the knee" ahead of Tuesday's game against the West Indies," the CSA said in a statement.
De Kock has expressed his reluctance to make the gesture in the past as well saying, "It's everyone's decision; no-one's forced to do anything, not in life. That's the way I see things."
The country's cricket board, meanwhile, asked the players to follow the diktat and present a united front, citing the country's apartheid past when Black players were not allowed to be part of national teams.
"All players had been required, in line with a directive of the CSA Board on Monday evening, to "take the knee" in a united and consistent stance against racism.
"This is also the global gesture against racism that has been adopted by sportspeople across sporting codes because they recognise the power of sport to bring people together."
The CSA move is aimed at driving home the point that the board is serious about tackling racism and all forms of discrimination in the game.
"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."
The South African cricketers have been seemingly split on the issue and before their T20 World Cup opener against Australia, players were seen standing, kneeling or raising a fist.
Pacer Anrich Nortje and wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen stood with their hands behind their backs even as their teammates used different ways to express their support to the 'Black Lives Matter' movement. On Tuesday, both these players took the knee with the rest of the squad.
In the past few months, an inquiry has also been conducted on revelations made by black players about feeling isolated in the team. The side is currently being led Temba Bavuma, who is the Proteas first black captain.
The cricket fraternity too reacted to de Kock's sudden decision to pull out of the vital game for his team.
Before the start of the match, Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik tweeted, "Quinton de Kock not playing because of his stand on BLM (Black Lives Matter) movement," with an image of de Kock refusing to take the knee.
Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson said there must be some "internal issues".
"Huge shock. There must be something going on internally," Watson said on Star Sports.
Former West Indies captain Brian Lara said de Kock's absence will give advantage to West Indies.
"It's going to be big advantage West Indies now that de Kock is not playing," Lara said.
Earlier in the day, the CSA had stated that "concerns were raised that that the different postures taken by team members in support of the BLM initiative created an unintended perception of disparity or lack of support for the initiative."
"Taking the knee is the global gesture against racism adopted by sports persons across the globe."
The Indian cricket team had also taken the knee ahead of its tournament-opener against Pakistan on Sunday.
The CSA pledged its support to BLM movement.
"Race should not be manipulated to amplify our weaknesses. Diversity can and should find expression in many facets of our daily lives, but not when it comes to taking a stand against racism," CSA Board chairperson Lawson Naidoo said in the statement.
"South Africans were recently joined by people across the world in celebrating the 90th birthday of our revered Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
"What better tribute from the Proteas to an icon of the struggle for freedom in South Africa than to demonstrate we are working to fulfil his vision of a united South Africa."
Former England captain Michael Vaughan offered support to de Kock.
"Surely it's down to the individual to decide whether he or she wants to be involved in any movement A Cricket board should request players to do it but if that individual decides they don't want too (sic) it should not stop them playing the game of Cricket," he tweeted.
Quinton de Kock not playing because of his stand on BLM movement 😳#BlackLivesMatter #SAvsWI #worldT20 pic.twitter.com/LqC76QKCL3
— DK (@DineshKarthik) October 26, 2021
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Commercial LPG hike: Delhi restaurant owners warn of higher menu rates, job losses
New Delhi (PTI) A day after a 50 per cent rise in commercial LPG cylinder prices, Delhi's food business, with restaurant owners and street vendors have warned of higher menu rates, financial strain and potential job losses if the trend persists.
The price of commercial LPG was hiked by a steep Rs 993 per 19 kg cylinder, marking the third consecutive monthly hike amid rising global energy prices linked to the West Asia conflict.
For many in the restaurant industry, the spike has been both sudden and steep.
Manpreet Singh, honorary treasurer of the National Restaurant Association of India, said that eateries are already grappling with supply challenges alongside rising costs.
"There is a huge difficulty in getting these cylinders, and black marketing is also increasing in many unregulated sectors," he said, noting that prices that were once around Rs 1,600, often dropping to nearly Rs 1,300 with discounts, have now surged to between Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,000 per cylinder.
He further added that a medium-sized restaurant typically uses between two and five cylinders daily, making the increase particularly burdensome as costs mount.
Singh further said that as costs mount, smaller establishments could struggle to stay afloat. Instead, the association has advised restaurants to shift towards piped natural gas connections through Indraprastha Gas Limited as a more sustainable alternative.
"If this problem continues, PNG is the only long-term solution," he said, adding that temporary measures like coal offer limited relief due to slower cooking times and that it can largely be used only for tandoors.
Echoing similar concerns, Kabir Suri, owner of Mamagoto in Khan Market, said the impact is already visible across the industry. "There has been almost a threefold increase in cylinder prices for restaurants," he said, adding that rising fuel and logistics costs are compounding the pressure.
"If this continues, it will become a significant financial burden, and food prices will inevitably go up. Adding to this burden, higher fuel costs are also affecting logistics and transportation, making a price rise unavoidable. The extent of the impact will vary between small eateries and large chains depending on their scale," he said.
Global oil prices have surged nearly 50 per cent following disruptions in energy supply chains due to the West Asia conflict, pushing up commercial fuel costs and transport expenses.
A West Delhi-based restaurateur said they are trying to manage rising costs while keeping their staff secure. "We are trying to ensure that our staff, from kitchen workers to waiters, are paid on time and do not face immediate hardship," the owner said.
"We are a small restaurant with seating for about 20 to 25 people at a time. But if this continues for long, we will have to take difficult calls. There is only so much we can absorb, and menu prices will have to go up. We hope this does not continue for a longer period," he said.
Another restaurant owner in North Delhi, who did not wish to be named, said operational adjustments alone may not be enough. "We are checking our costs very carefully and trying to cut wherever possible, but if fuel prices remain high, it will eventually affect how we run the business," the owner said.
"Coal helps in tandoor cooking, but it takes more time," the owner further added.
The strain is even more acute among street vendors, many of whom operate on thin margins. A vendor in Saket said he had recently expanded his business, moving from a mobile cart to a rented outlet.
"I have a family to feed and more responsibilities now. Earlier, I managed with a moving cart, but after renting the place, expenses increased," he said. "Whenever cylinders were unavailable, I had to buy them at higher rates in the black market. Now even regular supply is too expensive, and if this continues, we may have to shut down," he added.
In Laxmi Nagar, another vendor said they are struggling to keep the business running. "Sometimes we even used domestic cylinders from home when supply ran out because we had to keep the stall running," he said, adding that rising costs leave little choice but to increase prices or bear losses.
On April 1, the rates of commercial LPG cylinders were hiked by Rs 195.50 per cylinder, followed by a Rs 114.5 hike on March 1, taking the total increase over the past three months to Rs 1,303. With the latest revision, a 19 kg commercial LPG cylinder now costs Rs 3,371.5 in Delhi, up from Rs 2,078.5 earlier.
The prices of domestic LPG cylinders used for household cooking have remained unchanged. They were last increased by Rs 60 per 14.2 kg cylinder on March 7 and currently cost Rs 913 in Delhi.
