Off the long run: Kolpak it in! Chairmen need common sense

Alas poor Kolpak – wanted but universally unloved, and now a Brexit-endangered species it seems, if Out does indeed mean Out, as it did in the good old days before DRS.

The Kolpak ruling, which allows European Union citizens – and citizens of countries that are part of EU Association Agreements – to play county cricket, and not be categorised as an overseas player, will enter a grey area once the United Kingdom leaves the bloc.

At the time of writing, the UK had confirmed future trade arrangements with only the Faroe Islands and Switzerland – neither renowned for producing first-class cricketers – and negotiations with US players were foundering on their insistence on chlorinated chicken for lunch.

Existing contracts will surely have to be honoured – hence Yorkshire’s haste to sign Duanne Olivier on a three-year deal – but in the post-Brexit world no one is quite sure whether counties will still be able to circumvent the ECB’s one overseas player rule.

Excellent, you cry! Get back to your laagers and braais because you may have won the past two County Championships but you never won our hearts.

^{Olivier has signed a three-year deal with Yorkshire}

A bit harsh? Maybe. But as dominant as last year’s Surrey team were, it was Morne Morkel who made the difference and in 2017 the spin of Simon Harmer saw Essex home. Now Olivier has signed with Yorkshire and the Kolpak debate is raging again.

Aim no negativity or opprobrium at the 26-year-old, please. By rejecting a shorter contract offered by South Africa he has made a decision that he presumably feels is in the best interests of himself, his family and his future. Fast bowling is tough work and a relatively short-earning career, without the ever-present danger of serious injury.

Let’s not be hypocritical. Anyone reading this and thinking, “I would never turn my back on my country in favour of a much better offer from overseas” – yes, you would. And even if you wouldn’t, the missus would have a word and – yes, you would.

As well as Olivier guaranteeing his immediate future, Yorkshire supporters will also gain from the deal, with a ready-made spearhead, who took 31 wickets in seven Championship games for Derbyshire last season, to replace the much-loved but much-older Jack Brooks.

The losers, of course, will be South African fans, denied the chance to see Olivier as one prong of a pace quartet alongside Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada – the most fearsome foursome since Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Patrick Patterson?

Does it always have to be county or country though? Isn’t there room for compromise? Could Olivier – and others – not sign lucrative summer contracts with counties, but still be released to play Test matches in the off-season?

^{The bowler leaves behind one of the world's best attacks}

Yes, we know South Africa want him available for every game, and would like to manage his workload. Yes, Yorkshire want him for every game for the next three years and if he plays for South Africa too, they would be worried about burn-out.

Surely though, it is time for domestic and international teams to stop battling with each other; it just needs a bit of flexibility and common sense.

County chairmen would need to agree a formula – one Test-playing Kolpak per side, perhaps – and not abuse it for short-term gain. Talking to members, the problem most have with such signings is that their employment, if not exactly cheating, is seen as, well, cheating. Particularly where a player has been persuaded to give up a Test career.

The ECB’s financial inducements to play home-qualified players have helped to weed out some of the journeymen but Hampshire still managed to contest back-to-back Championship matches last season without one ball delivered by an England-born bowler.

To me, that is wrong – even if it is within the rules. Another bugbear is counties bringing in overseas players for just a couple of games. Theunis de Bruyn played two matches for Surrey, averaging 23, and denied one of their homegrown youngsters title-winning memories. Dean Elgar, who also appeared towards the end of the campaign, is hardly a world-beater either.

How to balance ambition, backed with deep pockets, and the need to promote local players and maintain the integrity of the Championship? That debate may well rage longer than Brexit.

This article was published in the April edition of The Cricketer - the home of the best cricket analysis and commentary, covering the international, county, women's and amateur game

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