'CSA could have done things differently' - Quinton de Kock breaks silence on refusing to take a knee in T20 WC 2021

Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock found himself in hot waters last year as he went against Cricket South Africa’s directives to take a knee ahead of every match in the T20 World Cup 2021. As the southpaw didn’t agree to do so, he didn’t feature in the team’s group-stage clash against West Indies. Apparently, the Proteas players were asked to take a knee to show solidarity towards the ‘Black Lives Matter’ campaign.

As De Kock refused to perform the gesture, he faced massive criticism from different quarters. Clarifying his stance back then, the left-handed batter stated that he felt his rights were taken away. He even apologized to fans and performed the gesture in the remaining games after returning to the playing XI. Shedding light on the whole saga, De Kock has now said he wouldn’t have done anything differently.

We all stand by what we believe in: Quinton de Kock

He even took a dig at CSA for making the gesture compulsory for all players midway through the tournament. “I would not have done anything differently. We all stand by what we believe in. I know how I am. I know I’m not a bad person. I’ve got nothing to hide. That’s why I wasn’t scared,” De Kock was quoted as saying by the Times of India.

“I think the board members, or whoever gave that directive (to compulsorily take a knee), could have done things differently, not just smack dab in the middle of a World Cup the morning before a game. The pressure was thrown onto the players, which was unnecessary. We had a lot of youngsters in the team,” he added.

De Kock further stated that cricketers are not activists but influencers and can play a role in bringing a change in the society. He further said there are people making actual contributions behind closed doors but the world recognizes those who voice their opinion on social media. “We’re cricketers but we are also at the same time influencers. Maybe we can’t change much in the communities, but we can help share awareness,” stated the 29-year-old.

“There’s a lot of people watching us, watching our Instagram, social media, so where we can help out as influencers, we try. But then a lot of players also don’t like doing things on social media, they like getting out and doing the hard yards behind closed doors. I’ve seen guys get more applause for a post than the guys who are actually going out and making a difference. The communities we help, they can see what’s going on,” he added.