Five Players Whose Kolpak Deal Acceptance Came As A Big Blow For South Africa

The Kolpak rule has managed to create an uproar, especially in South African cricket ever since Claude Henderson accepted it. The regulation was first enforced in case of Maros Kolpak, a Slovak Handball player. Maros went on to appeal to the European Court of Justice that he shouldn’t be considered a non-EU player in the German Handball League as he was a resident of Germany. In retrospect, Slovakia, where Kolpak originally belonged to, was part of European Union Association Agreement.

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Due to this, the court ruled the decision in his favour and allowed citizens of countries which had free trade treaties with the EU and were part of Europan Union Association Agreement, to work in any country. As far as cricket was concerned, the resolution allowed residents of 100 nations to play the sport in an EU country without being viewed as an overseas athlete. According to the Cotonou Agreement, most of the citizens belonging to various Caribbean and African nations are eligible to sign the Kolpak deal.

Factors such as a higher standard of living in Britain, better facilities, higher pay, racial quota system, are some of the driving forces behind Zimbabwe and South Africa cricketers to opt for it. Also, a player signing the contract can no longer represent his country. The Proteas, who produce some excellent cricketers jump ship after giving top-notch performances for their country and accepting central contracts from the CSA.

The Kolpak ruling has not only weakened South Africa’s international team but also their domestic circuit. Most recently, South Africa’s slump in Test cricket has been attributed due to some of their star cricketers’ departures. As many as 30 players from South Africa so far have struck a deal with various English county teams.

We take a look at five players whose Kolpak Deal acceptance came as a big blow for the Proteas:

Neil Mckenzie:

Neil Mckenzie was one of the most gifted stroke players in the South African outfit. During his playing days for the Proteas, Mckenzie played in all three formats of the game. The right-handed batsman was an integral part of their side that won the Test series in England in 2008. In the first Test that rubber, Mckenzie’s 447-ball vigil helped the tourists avoid a follow-on.

The same year, the Johannesburg-born was one of the 12 players to have scored 1000 Test runs in a calendar year. Yet, 2008 ended disappointingly as he found himself out of form against Bangladesh and Australia. In January 2010, the 44-year old signed the Kolpak deal with Hampshire. Although he wasn’t in the international frame back then, Mckenzie possessed the ability to make a comeback. He could have also returned as a coach for the national outfit.

Rilee Rossouw:

Rilee Rossouw proved as one of the breakout players for South Africa. However, early in 2017, Rossouw decided to leave South African cricket and instead signed a three-year deal with Hampshire. The then coach Russell Domingo slammed his decision since he backed the 30-year old even when he produced four ducks out of his first six ODI innings.

Rossouw’s final ODI came in Cape Town in 2016 against Australia wherein he struck a run-a-ball 122 as the hosts romped to a 5-0 win over them. He made an immediate impact after signing the contract with Hampshire, making 156 against Somerset in the Royal London Cup.

Gradually, the Bloemfontein-born became one of the hottest free agents in the T20 circuit. The stylish batsman accumulated 558 runs in the 2018-19 edition of Bangladesh Premier League at an average of 69.75. He went on to win the Pakistan Super League as well with Quetta Gladiators. Rossouw could have been a massive asset for the South African T20 side.

Simon Harmer:

Simon Harmer looked like a potent spin-bowling option in red-ball cricket through his exploits in limited-opportunities. By bagging 20 wickets in five fixtures, it looked like Proteas’ search for one more specialist spinner other than Keshav Maharaj has come to a close. Unfortunately, the off-spinner changed directions and became a part of Essex ahead of the 2017 season.

Harmer immediately made an impact as Essex won the County Championship that season after 25 years. The 31-year old was central to their success, snapping 72 wickets at a stunning average of 19.19. Harmer returned with 57 wickets the following edition even as Essex were unsuccessful in defending their title.

In 2019, Essex emerged victorious in the Vitality Blast as well as in the first-class competition. He returned with 17 wickets in the T20 tournament and a staggering 83 scalps in the four-day affairs. The Proteas’ dearly missed the presence of someone like Harmer on their Test tour of India in 2019 as the lack of a penetrating spinner left them dazed.

Kyle Abbott:

Along with Rilee Rossouw, Kyle Abbott also made a move to Hampshire as part of the Kolpak deal in early 2017. Cricket South Africa did involve in talks with him but couldn’t change his mind about the decision. Abbott was heading to a fulfilling international career, sparkling with a seven-wicket haul against Pakistan on Test debut in 2013. Despite that, he remained on the sidelines for the most part in red-ball cricket as Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, and Vernon Philander continued to headline the attack.

And this uncertainty in the Test team gave rise to opting for the Kolpak deal. But the speedster remained a regular fixture in limited-overs cricket. The Natal-born pacer was one of South Africa’s best bowlers in the 2015 World Cup, taking nine wickets in four games at 14.44. The Proteas leaving him out for the semi-final of the tournament in favour of Philander was viewed as a very controversial decision.

In the 2017 edition of County Championship, Abbott took 60 wickets in only 14 matches at 18.20. With the likes of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, and Vernon Philander retiring from the Test arena, South Africa could have used him to bolster their pace battery.

Duanne Olivier:

Yet another promising fast bowler in Duanne Olivier confirmed his acceptance of turning back on international cricket. In early 2019, after highly successful Test outings against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Olivier agreed to a three-year county deal with Yorkshire. In a total of ten Tests, the 27-year old grabbed 48 wickets at 19.2 with three five-wicket hauls.

Cricket South Africa revealed that the speedster declined a two-year contract and went ahead with the Yorkshire deal. Their then chief executive Thabang More was gutted with his decision after all the opportunities they handed out to him. Furthermore, the two-year contract would have had him secured financially as well through to the end of the 2020-21 season.

The Groblersdal-born labelled the decision to relocate to England as the best for him and his family, considering the future. He also disclosed his willingness to play Tests for the English team in the near future.

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