TWO fast bowlers‚ a short-format allrounder‚ an offspinner‚ a middle order batsman and an opening batsman have decided to ply their trade in England. Kyle Abbott, Hardus Viljoen‚ David Wiese, Simon Harmer‚ Rilee Rossouw and Stiaan van Zyl have all signed Kolpak deals in recent months, which takes them out of the equation for selection for South Africa.Their collective contribution to the Proteas amounts to 29 Tests‚ 70 one-day appearances and 56 T20 games. All told, that‘s 155 caps worth of international experience taken out of the system.Rory Kleinveldt‚ Colin Ingram and Richard Levi, who have all represented South Africa, have also gone the Kolpak route.“It‘s disappointing to lose players of the calibre of Kyle and Rilee but you can‘t blame these players‚ or any of the Kolpak players‚ for going this route‚” said Tony Irish‚ the chief executive of the SA Cricketers‘ Association.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.