By IANS
Johannesburg : Cricket South Africa (CSA) has decreed that players who have joined the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) may not participate in any games administered by the national body.
The Afrikaans daily Beeld Saturday quoted CSA as saying that those who had joined ICL could not have their bread buttered both sides.
“There is no way that we will allow them to play in any of the local series if they play in the rebel series,” CSA chief executive Gerald Majola said.
“We view them as rebels. They have joined a breakaway organisation. The decision is final that they may not play any more cricket in South Africa under the banner of the CSA.”
Majola did leave a window for those who have signed up for ICL by saying that if they cancelled their contracts within the next few weeks, they could be accepted in South Africa once again.
“But once they have played even one game in the ICL tournament, it’s over and they will never be allowed to play in South Africa again.”
Several provincial teams could be hit by the decision, the Diamond Eagles most of all, as three of their players – Nicky Boje, Johan van der Wath and Loots Bosman – have joined the ICL.
Lance Klusener of the Dolphins and Andrew Hall of the Titans have also signed up.
Hall said he had not heard anything official yet that they were now persona non grata in South African cricket.
The CSA decision has sparked concerns that if the International Cricket Council (ICC) follows suit, ICL players may not be allowed to play games in any ICC member countries.
If England adopts a similar attitude, South African players, who are much sought after in county cricket as they are able to duck the two-foreigner per side rule because the their unique trade ties with the European Union, might also find the door closed on lucrative opportunities.