KOCHI: South African cricketer Quinton de Kock released a statement on Thursday after the uproar over his decision to opt-out of the game against West Indies over his unwillingness to take a knee in the fight against racism.
The whole incident created a major controversy but Namibian cricketer David Wiese who is of South African origin feels that de Kock has put the issue to bed. De Kock apologised to his teammates and clarified that he was ready to take the knee in the upcoming matches.
"He has given his reasons and you have to expect as a player that that is the way he feels about it. He made a statement and he has put it to bed and everyone now knows the reasons behind what he did. He has come out and said his reasons and it is all personal reasons and every single person out there has got own belief and own stand against it. For me, the most important thing is, whatever you do, you have to do it as a team. Team has got to stand in unity," said Wiese during a media interaction on Thursday.
Wiese is currently busy being part of Namibia's charge in the maiden T20 World Cup participation.
The team managed to script a memorable win over Scotland in their Super 12 game on Wednesday and he feels playing in the World Cup is massive for the nation.
"It is going to be massive for the youth of Namibia to see the team playing at the international stage and playing against the best teams in the world. That will give them the belief that even if Namibia is a small country, they can go and get the opportunity to play in the World Cup and the Super 12s. That will give them the motivation to work hard," he said.
The 36-year-old is also expected to feature in the Abu Dhabi T10 tournament with Deccan Gladiators.
According to the veteran cricketer, the T10 league could be a great format for the growth of the sport in countries that are slowly embracing the game.
"I've always felt that T10 is such a great opportunity to grow the game globally and in developing countries where the game is just starting out," he said.
Wiese is expected to be in action for Namibia when they take on Afghanistan on October 31.