Cricketers Who Went Kolpak In Last Three Years – Playing XI

Jan 30, 2017 at 11:44 AM

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Cricketers Who Went Kolpak In Last Three Years – Playing XI

The recent months have been profusely turbulent for the entire South African cricketing fraternity, as racial policies have taken a colossal toll on the selection criteria for players. With the South African government mounting pressure on the cricket board to have a certain number of coloured players in the side, the entire process of selecting individuals has taken a shift. These days, rather than selecting players based on their merit, South Africans are content on selecting them based on their racial backgrounds.

Thereby, players who feel that they have been clearly unfairly dealt with, have resorted to going “Kolpak”, or an arrangement where they sign up with a county side in England and play as non-overseas players. The conditions remain here too, as they can’t play any form of international cricket as long as the Kolpak contract is valid.

Keeping this drastic change in mind, we have a look at a possible playing XI, comprising of those individuals who have gone Kolpak.

  1. Richard Levi:

Levi burst on to the international scene like a storm, as he raved a 45 ball T20I century in just his second game against New Zealand in February 2012. Levi showed promises of a genuine fearsome opener as he was a clean striker of the ball. The bulky right-hander was also a part of South Africa’s squad in the 2012 World T20, which turned out to be a miserable tournament for the Proteas. During that tournament and the games which followed, Levi’s form dropped as he struggled against quality bowling. In 2014, he went Kolpak thereby ending his international career for South Africa.

  1. Colin Ingram:

Ingram’s career graph seems an ideal replica to that of Levi, as the opener showed tremendous promise before fading away in hindsight. The fact that he has 3 ODI centuries in 29 innings is enough to point out that the talent was always there. However, inconsistencies got the better of him and Ingram wasn’t rewarded with a decent run in the side. His last outing in national colours for South Africa came in late 2013 against Pakistan in UAE. Sensing a lack of opportunities in South Africa, Ingram opted for the Kolpak way as well.

  1. Brendan Taylor (c- wk):

Unarguably, the greatest batsman produced by Zimbabwe since Andy Flower, Taylor was an absolute genius for his national side. His heroics with the bat won Zimbabwe countless games as he stood rock solid as the spine of the team. With massive instability engulfing Zimbabwe cricket, Taylor had no other option that taking the Kolpak way for Nottinghamshire. He retired from international cricket after the 2015 World Cup and ironically, scored a wonderful ton in his last outing in international cricket against India at Auckland.

Rilee Rossouw ruled out of tri series
Rilee Rossouw ruled out of tri-series
  1. Rilee Rossouw:

International cricket is at a severe loss when a talent like Rossouw has to opt for a drastic choice like Kolpak due to some dismal racial policies. The left-handed batsman was a consistent performer for South Africa and impressed whenever he was presented with an opportunity. He batted all along the order and in a star-studded side, managed to do quite well. He shocked everyone a month ago when he opted to go Kolpak citing lack of chances in the national team. Fair to say, only Cricket South Africa (CSA) was at a loss, not forgetting the game as a whole as well.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul
  1. Shivnarine Chanderpaul:

The veteran West Indian batting legend was the most recent addition to the Kolpak list. In mid-2015, out of nowhere, Chanderpaul was axed by the disturbed West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) which virtually ended his international career. Despite amassing over 11,000 Test career runs, no one even bothered to offer the batting icon an explanation. What followed was unfortunate as with age not on his side and no prospects of a callback, Chanderpaul opted to go Kolpak.

stiaan-van-zyl
Stiaan-van-Zyl
  1. Stiaan Van Zyl:

The 29-year-old batsman was another recent addition into the Kolpak list as minimal opportunities in South Africa caused him to take the drastic step. Van Zyl featured in the test series against India in late 2015 and had a forgettable outing as he was constantly trapped by India’s R. Ashwin.

  1. Ryan McLaren:

With 77 wickets in 54 ODI’s for South Africa, McLaren always had the skills to become a genuine wicket-taker for South Africa. In addition to that, he was more than a decent batsman lower down the order and could bat well with the tail. However, like so many other players, McLaren wasn’t given a fair run in the side and his last international outing came in late 2014 against Australia.

Kyle Abbott enjoys competition with Dale Steyn

  1. Kyle Abbott:

Undoubtedly the most shocking name in this list, is that of Abbott. Barely a couple of months ago, Abbott bowled South Africa to a famous victory at Hobart, which sealed the series against Australia. With 39 wickets in just 11 games at a stunning bowling average of 22.71, Abbott wasn’t just another pacer. The right arm pacer felt the uneasiness around him in the cricketing circles when the racial policies became evident. The fact that he was overlooked for the 2015 World Cup semi final against New Zealand, well cost the Proteas the game, and the tournament.

Ravi Rampaul Surrey
Ravi Rampaul signs for Surrey
  1. Ravi Rampaul:

Among the most underrated T20 pacers of all time, Rampaul served West Indies cricket well in the chances he was offered. The Trinidadian was a genuine wicket taker and was an integral member of the victorious West Indian team in the 2012 World T20. Who can forget the ripper he bowled to Tillakaratne Dilshan in the final of that event which set the tone for the Calypso Kings. After playing for a long time in the county circuit, Rampaul was a member of the Kolpak list as well.

  1. Fidel Edwards:

Like Rampaul, Edwards displayed a lot of passion and character while representing the West Indies in any form of the game. A regular run in with back injuries hampered his progress as a front line seamer and he was thereby in and out of the team for quite a bit. His last outing in international cricket came during late 2012 against Bangladesh, and since then, has been a consistent performer for Hampshire in the county circuit.

  1. Simon Harmer:

The South African off spinner is the final member of the playing XI as like so many South Africans, the lack of opportunities hampered his mindset. Harmer was a part of the national setup during the side’s tour of India in late 2015 and featured in the test matches. After not being selected later on, Harmer took the decision and went looking for a Kolpak deal.

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