After
hearing Cindy Poluta struggle to explain exactly what a Kolpak contract was on
702 the other day I was glad to find a “primer” on the topic on Espn Cricinfo
last week.
It gives the
background to the special dispensation and explains how South African
cricketers can work as European Union citizens in the UK because of a trade
agreement we have with the EU.
Players from
South Africa (among other countries) can, therefore, be contracted to county
cricket sides without taking up one of their overseas player spots.
It’s been
cozy, until Brexit came along and now it looks like it will all end soon.
It’s a thing
right now because of Kyle Abbott’s and Rilee Rossouw’s imminent departure to join
Hampshire as Kolpak players.
The article
follows a question/answer format and it makes it all very clear. There is
however, a bit if editorialising when it comes to explaining why an SA player
would consider such a move.
Here’s what
it says:
“But why would a member of the
South Africa international team give up Test cricket? - South African cricket has a
quota system. In September last year, Cricket South Africa announced that
a maximum of five white players can be picked in the eleven, on average. This
means some white players, such as Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw, may not get as many chances to play for South
Africa and are hence choosing to move to England.”
Now, Abbott (Rossouw has been silent) is adamant that his
decision has nothing to do with quotas. It’s about job security and, no doubt, the
money. He sees himself as a fringe player, never certain of a starting spot in
the Proteas team. Rossouw is certainly that.
Unsurprisingly, the social media has weighed in and, in the South Africa way, you have those who are loudly condemning the
pair as sellouts who won’t be missed and who never really had transformation at
heart; and you have those who equally stridently see them as trailblazers,
leading an exodus of white players who have had the door shut on them.
How would I know what the truth is? I do, however believe
that it lies somewhere in between. It’s a fact that there are now only five
spots for white players in our national teams, and at the same time, yes, we
need the buy-in and long-term commitment of white players if the, absolutely
necessary, transformation of the game is to happen.
But I don’t
think it’s been done properly. Saying, as they did last week, that there are
still as many opportunities for white players as there have ever been, without
explaining how that is, is just not good enough.
It’s wrong,
of course, to use these two players as an illustration. They have both been
given ample chances, white or not, and if they were better players they would
be fixtures in the team – there are other whites who are.
No the real
problems lie lower down. Not all of them are Kolpak players, some have British ancestry,
but we are bleeding talented players at the under-19 level.
Keaton Jennings
is the best-known current example. Gauteng’s Connor McKerr – the standout
bowler in his generation is also gone, and don’t be shocked if one or two
more leave as a result of last year’s SA Schools selections.
And why do
we all act so surprised. It’s being going on for a while in rugby, to the
extent that it’s become quite easy to pick a team of overseas players that
would probably beat the Springboks (especially the 2016 lot).
It
accelerated in the last two years as the quota of white players dwindled and
the disturbing part is that it is young players going abroad now, not veterans
looking for a final financial windfall to secure their post-rugby futures.
For my two
cents worth, I’m with the doomsayers who believe the same is going to happen in
cricket now, although I don’t agree that it will mean the demise of SA as a
world power in the game. I don’t believe that’s the case with rugby either, the
2016 debacle notwithstanding.
Our school
system is so strong, and there’s so much talent around that we will survive,
and if those in control work out a way of doing things better we can even be
the best in the world again.
Really
develop the game, among all children in the country, and who is going to stop
us?
You can read
Espncrickonfo’s explanation of the Kolpak system at:
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