T20 World Cup 2021: Quinton de Kock has put the controversy surrounding taking knee to bed, says David Wiese

Abu Dhabi: Namibia all-rounder David Wiese says Quinton de Kock has put an end to the controversy around his refusal to take a knee by listing out his reasons for the decision but the teams must stay united while deciding on such issues. De Kock came out with a statement on Thursday saying he is fine taking a knee if it “educates others” and that he was deeply hurt at being called a racist for refusing to make the gesture earlier. “He has put it (the controversy) to bed and everyone now knows the reasons behind what he did. He has come out and said his reasons and every single person out there has got own belief and own stand,” Wiese said in an interaction with media. [caption id=“attachment_10080271” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] File image of Quinton de Kock. AP[/caption] “For me the most important thing is that with whatever you decide to do, you decide to do as a team. “The team has got to stand in unity whether it is feeling strongly about taking a knee or just like the Pakistan team stood and held hands on their hearts. Whatever you are doing to show your support, you just have to do as as a team,” said Wiese, who was De Kock’s teammate before joining Namibia. The wicketkeeper-batter had pulled out of South Africa’s Group 1 Super 12 stage match against the West Indies in Dubai on Tuesday after the Cricket South Africa ordered players to take the knee before every game. De Kock explained that he did not take a knee before the match because of the manner in which the diktat was issued to the players, hours before the contest. For Wiese, who is a former South African player but now an important cog in the wheel for Namibia, Caribbean Andre Russell and Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan are top all-rounders in the current era. “In terms of T20 cricket, Andre Russell is always going to be one of the best all-rounders in the world, simply because he is a match winner. He can take the game away from you with the bat or ball. He is such a dangerous player. “And the other one for me, who I think people sometimes forget about is Shakib Al Hasan. He is a fantastic bowler, batter, the best all-rounder in the world. “But he sometimes gets forgotten because when you think of all-rounders, you think of guys like Andre Russell and big-hitters,” he said. The 36-year-old said the Abu Dhabi T10 league is a fantastic event. “The skills that you have to exhibit in T10 cricket (are) massive and you got to upskill yourself as a player. I have always felt that T10 is such a great opportunity to grow the game globally in developing countries. “It is a great format for people to get interested in the game and there is a great future for it,” Wiese, who will playing for Deccan Gladiators in the tournament, said.