T20 World Cup 2021: "Quinton de Kock's problem now is that he has committed to taking the knee despite everyone knowing that he doesn't really believe in it" - Michael Vaughan
Former England captain Michael Vaughan believes Cricket South Africa (CSK) failed to instruct their players to take the knee ahead of their T20 World Cup 2021 in a professional manner.
In his column for The Telegraph, the cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out how such issues should have been addressed prior to the tournament. Vaughan was left unimpressed with the board sending a directive to take the knee right before the Proteas' vital encounter against the West Indies.
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 it should not stop them playing the game of Cricket … #T20WorldCup #DeKock
He also stated that the whole Quinton de Kock and CSA situation was handled poorly. The 46-year-old opined that one cannot dictate how a sportsperson expresses his personal views.
Vaughan also noted that while Quinton de Kock has now agreed to kneel ahead of South Africa's remaining matches, people are aware that he does not believe in this particular gesture.
Here's what he wrote:
"The Quinton de Kock controversy comes down to one fundamental point: no sportsperson should be told what to do when it comes to expressing their personal views."
"Quinton's problem now is that he has committed to taking the knee despite everyone knowing that he doesn't really believe in it," - he added.
Quinton de Kock explains why he did not take a knee
Quinton de Kock's unwillingness to take the knee ahead of the team's encounter against the West Indies earlier this week sparked a major uproar in the cricket fraternity. However, the player has now apologized for the same and has pledged to take the knee.
Read Quinton de Kock's full statement here:
Quinton de Kock statement 📝 https://t.co/Vtje9yUCO6
South Africa are slated to take on Sri Lanka in a Group 1 fixture of the Super 12s on Saturday, October 30. The contest will be played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. With the wicketkeeper-batsman agreeing to follow CSA's directive, it is expected that he will walk back into the team for the clash.