Proteas wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock has decided not to disclose the reasons behind his decision to neither raise his first nor take a knee before the start of play of first Test against the West Indies.

De Kock was the only Proteas play to do neither when players were given a period to observe the Black Lives Matter movement on the first day of the Test on Thursday.

The rest of the Proteas players either took a knee or raised their fist.

De Kock would go on to score 141*, which guided the Proteas to a first-innings total of 322.

Speaking after the second day’s play, he said his decision was guided by his own opinion.

‘I will keep my reasons to myself and it is my own personal opinion,’ De Kock said.

‘Like Lungi [Ngidi] said, it is everyone’s decision, no one is forced to do something and that’s the way I see things.’

De Kock celebrated his landmark by raising what appeared to be a ‘W’ sign with his fingers.

He said that celebration was inspired by one of his friends, who works in rhino conservation and got one of his fingers shot off.

‘There’s a whole bunch of us and there’s some stuff I’m doing with Rockwood with regard to rhino conservation.

‘On one night, we had a braai and we started talking. His finger had been shot off and it is quite a limelight in our group of friends.

‘I said if I get to a accolade on the field, I’ll do that for him. I couldn’t believe it happened the first time, but I think that group will be buzzing once I see my phone.’