South Africa has lost several potential future stars to Kolpak deal in past. The same ghost is back to haunt them again as medium pace bowler Duanne Olivier will sign a three-year deal with Yorkshire. He has decided to give up his international career in South Africa and will chase his dream in County Cricket. Olivier announced his decision through social media on Tuesday.
Duanne Olivier has been flying of late. In his last five Tests, the South African fast bowler has taken 31 wickets at 17 runs apiece, including 11 against Pakistan at Pretoria during December. He has just broken into the top 20 of the Test rankings and made his one-day international debut at the start of a year that brings with it the carrot of a World Cup in England.
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The club is awaiting final sign-off on the registration that allows an overseas player to play as a local in county cricket provided their country of origin has a free trade agreement with the EU and they qualify for a work permit.
“My decision might be difficult for some to understand but being a professional cricket player is a short-lived career and in order for me to make the most of all my opportunities, I had to consider all my options,” Olivier said in a statement over this decision.
There were as many as 40 South African players who turned their back to the national team and decided to play in County Cricket. Kyle Abbott, Morne Morkel and Rilee Rossouw are few recent players who opted to play in English first-class league.
Olivier was thinking about it for the last twelve months. Last summer he played as an overseas cricketer at Derbyshire and after 31 wickets in seven first-class matches. Thus, other Counties expressed their interest in him. Back then, he had gone a year without an international cap and would have been mindful of South Africa’s quota system, which requires the national team to average six non-white players per game over the course of a year, of whom two must be black.
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The 26-year-old’s last international game will remain the Port Elizabeth Test against Sri Lanka, which South Africa lost by eight wickets and conceded the series by 2-0.
