"Temba Bavuma's character as captain of South Africa was tested significantly" - Michael Atherton on the Quinton de Kock saga

Former England skipper Michael Atherton heaped praise on South Africa captain Temba Bavuma for handling the Quinton de Kock episode tactfully. Atherton said the Proteas skipper held the team together despite a stunning turn of events.

De Kock's decision not to take the knee before the game against West Indies in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021 divided the cricketing fraternity. The southpaw did not reveal the reason and sat out of the match.

In his column for The Times, Atherton pointed out that Bavuma followed in Virat Kohli's footsteps after his character came under test. Highlighting that de Kock's refusal to take the knee in the match was a blow to Bavuma's captaincy, Atherton wrote:

"Two days after Kohli had shown tremendous grace at the end of the game against Pakistan by congratulating his opponents publicly and warmly, the character of the captain of South Africa was tested even more significantly. Bavuma, who is the first Black captain to lead South Africa in a Cricket World Cup, had his plans thrown into disarray before the team’s second match against West Indies."

After South Africa emerged victorious in a must-win clash against West Indies, Bavuma said he was surprised at de Kock's call not to follow Cricket South Africa's directive to take the knee, but respected his decision. The skipper also revealed that the entire team was behind de Kock.

"Hard to think of a good reason for de Kock not to take the knee" - Michael Atherton

Michael Atherton (Image Credit: Getty)

Atherton also expressed surprise at de Kock's decision, especially playing under a Black captain. The 53-year-old wrote:

"Having had more than a year to think about his response, and recognising that players in sports teams abide by rules and regulations put upon them all the time, it was hard to think of a good reason for de Kock not to take the knee, given that he was playing under a Black captain, alongside Black players, for a country with a history of apartheid, while the game in South Africa is in the middle of its Social Justice and Nation-Building hearings. He gave no explanation."

De Kock later apologized for his actions and went on to take the knee in subsequent matches, declaring that he was not a racist.