By IANS
Johannesburg : Cricket South Africa chief executive Gerald Majola said the European Union's (EU) Kolpak ruling was killing international cricket and urged affected governments and the International Cricket Council to address the issue.
Under the Kolpak ruling a player from any nation sharing an associate trading relationship with the EU is free to play as a professional within the EU.
Since the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) allows only two overseas players for each county, this ruling enables counties to circumvent the limitation and hire professionals from outside England, especially from South Africa.
Speaking after 22-year-old Vaughn van Jaarsveld became the latest player to sign a Kolpak contract, Majola told the South African Press Association, "We are particularly worried about the young players taking up Kolpak contracts. We have invested a lot of money in them, through the national cricket academy and in other ways.
"Vaughn is a case in point. We have been watching him since he was in school. We could see he had something special, now he has indicated that he wants to qualify to play for England, and our investment in him is lost."
Majola said England was as badly affected by the ruling as South Africa.
"Because of the strong pound, they can get a better and cheaper Kolpak player than an English player. This means English players are having difficulty coming through the system.
"The whole Kolpak thing is affecting international cricket, with more players opting to play county cricket. If nothing is done, you'll find the world's best players on the county circuit, with second string players representing their countries, and international cricket will just go downhill."