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South African wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock has opened up on his decision of refusing to take a knee during the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Notably, De Kock made the decision after Cricket South Africa (CSA) released a statement saying that all players should take a knee before their remaining T20 World Cup matches in support of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement.
Following De Kock’s refusal to take a knee, he didn’t feature in the team’s group-stage clash against West Indies. The left-handed batter also faced enormous criticism from different quarters. He soon clarified his stance and apologized to fans, and performed the gesture in the remaining games.
Five months after the incident, De Kock has now spill beans on the whole saga that the board shouldn’t have imposed the directive on the players during a multi-team event like World Cup.
“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,” said De Kock, as quoted 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 mentioned that cricketers are influencers as well and can play a role in bringing a change in society. He also stated that some cricketers make actual contributions on ground zero, but the world recognises those who voice their opinions 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. There’s a lot of people watching us, watching our Instagram and 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,” the southpaw added further.
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