Proteas batsman Quinton de Kock has expressed no regret at initially refusing to accept CSA’s directive to take the knee at last year’s T20 World Cup.

The 28-year-old withdrew from the team before their match against the West Indies.

De Kock later apologised in a statement and said he “would be more than happy to take the knee” if selected again, which he did before the remainder of the Proteas’ matches at the tournament.

In an interview with The Times of India, De Kock stated his belief that CSA could’ve timed its instruction better.

“I would not have done anything differently,” he said. “We all stand by what we believe in. I know who I am. I know I’m not a bad person. I’ve got nothing to hide. That’s why I wasn’t scared.

“I think the board members, or whoever gave that directive [to compulsorily take the knee] could have done things differently, not just smack bang 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.”

De Kock was asked if sports stars needed to go beyond token gestures when it came to addressing issues like race and gender inequality.

“As players, we try our best to help out any way we can,” he said. “In all honesty, we’re not natural-born activists.

“We’re cricketers but at the same time, we’re also influencers. Maybe we can’t change much in the communities, but we can help share awareness.

“There are a lot of people watching us, watching our Instagram, 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 guys who are actually going out and making a difference. The communities we help, they can see what’s going on.”