Cricket South Africa must do more to stop home-grown cricketers from leaving international cricket to pursue more lucrative Kolpak deals, according to Morne Morkel.
Duanne Olivier is the latest South African cricketer to leave the international stage to take on a Kolpak contract, with his move to Yorkshire on a three-year contract announced earlier this week.
“Do you structure the contracting a little bit better? What security do you give the guys (in terms of) life after cricket? You talk about investing, but once a guy retires, they sort of drift away. I can name a number of players who they have invested a lot of money in, but you don’t see them coaching, you don’t see them involved with our academies.
“Give those guys a platform and say: ‘we’ve invested in you for so many years when you’re thinking of settling down or moving on, this is where we see a role for you’.”
Olivier’s move has taken many by surprise, having recently enjoyed a lengthy run in the Test arena. The tall quick was named Player of the Series in South Africa’s 3-0 series win over Pakistan, while he also made his ODI debut in the limited-overs series that followed.
“(But) I think that decision was made long before a couple of months ago. He weighed his options up and it was a family decision and you have to respect that.
“It’s never nice to lose quality players, you always want to see them play for South Africa. But I understand it completely and I wish him all the best.”
