S Africa calls for its players to stay

[honestbharani]

Roussee is a piss weak bloke. Abbott I can understand as there are more limited places for bowlers, but Rossouw could easily have played 50+ more limited overs games for SA. Clearly has no stomach for the fight.

Hope we can get rid of this Kolpak nonsense soon enough, might be one of the only positives from Brexit.

Fully agree

 

[StephenZA]

And you really can't blame him. If he feels moving is the best and safest option for him and his family (if he has one) then you'd have to be pretty cold to have a go at him for it.

I have no problem with his decision... but the big issue spoken about is money and quotas, and maybe we are all forgetting the obvious; that people just want a better environment for their families. That is going to take 20+ years to sort out if it even started tomorrow... and CSA can do nothing to keep these players then.

 

[vic_orthdox]

I have no problem with his decision... but the big issue spoken about is money and quotas, and maybe we are all forgetting the obvious; that people just want a better environment for their families. That is going to take 20+ years to sort out if it even started tomorrow... and CSA can do nothing to keep these players then.

There is always going to be some leakage where you have freedom of movement between your market, and the biggest market in professional cricket.

 

[TheJediBrah]

I have no problem with his decision... but the big issue spoken about is money and quotas, and maybe we are all forgetting the obvious; that people just want a better environment for their families. That is going to take 20+ years to sort out if it even started tomorrow... and CSA can do nothing to keep these players then.

no doubt it's a very difficult situation, but hopefully we can avoid having a go at these cricketers for leaving. Implying they're "weak" or insulting them in anyway regarding this decision would be extremely asinine.

 

[StephenZA]

no doubt it's a very difficult situation, but hopefully we can avoid having a go at these cricketers for leaving. Implying they're "weak" or insulting them in anyway regarding this decision would be extremely asinine.

Agreed.... but just noting I`ve done no such thing. Disappointed but I do understand.

 

[S.Kennedy]

What a grubby little county Hampshire are.

You know the Durham thing? Bransgrove talked about it around a week before the news broke, and what he said was what came about exactly. Nobody took it seriously at the time, thinking it was the usual end of season sour grapes/trying your luck. And most counties were not arsed about Durham's debt relief (it is not as if we were signing it on glitzy overseas players). Nobody else had actually raised the point that 'Durham had gained an advantage'.

Conspiracy theory?

Bransgrove influenced the ECB to relegate Durham and keep Hampshire up.

 

[S.Kennedy]

One thing that confuses me about this whole situation is...where the **** do English counties get their money from? Whole competition is about as exciting as Coldplay.

I do not know how you arrived at this opinion. There is some terrific cricket there. Toby Roland-Jones's hattrick for instance sealing Middlesex's victory last summer, or the nail biting finale (across two matches) of the 2010 season spring to mind. It is no coincidence that foreign players want, and have always wanted, to play here.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Foreign players move because there's a greater demand - there's more professional cricketing slots in England than anywhere else in the world, (not sure about India).

 

[S.Kennedy]

Foreign players move because there's a greater demand - there's more professional cricketing slots in England than anywhere else in the world, (not sure about India).

Considering English leagues actually payed more than County Cricket for much of the Championship's history (except for the chance of a lucrative 'benefit year'), I do not see how this can be true. The real reason is, most cricketers wanted to play County Cricket because they saw it as a fiercely competitive competition and a chance to compete in and gain knowledge of English wickets.

It is a pity Indians and Australians have forsaken their first-rate competitions in favour of plastic bashy bashy Macdonald's silliness. Shield cricket was also brilliant at one time, attracting people like Botham (Queensland) and Sobers (South Australia).

 

[vic_orthdox]

Considering English leagues actually payed more than County Cricket for much of the Championship's history (except for the chance of a lucrative 'benefit year'), I do not see how this can be true. The real reason is, most cricketers wanted to play County Cricket because they saw it as a fiercely competitive competition and a chance to compete in and gain knowledge of English wickets.

It is a pity Indians and Australians have forsaken their first-rate competitions in favour of plastic bashy bashy Macdonald's silliness. Shield cricket was also brilliant at one time, attracting people like Botham (Queensland) and Sobers (South Australia).

Was referring to the now, not the past - where there are multiple instances of overseas players moving to play league cricket to make a living, as fredfertang has written about before.

Shield cricket was "brilliant" in the 1990s, when there was no overseas players at all sighted.

Our competition has done little different to England's, where they play the majority of their FC cricket in the early and late parts of the season, much like us. The simple reason why the Hain's, Robson's, Magoffin's of the world are there is because there are 18 squads, not six, from which they can gain a game, so they can start to earn a living out of the game earlier, or for longer.

This is entirely different to the Hastings, Bailey, etc.

It doesn't matter what South Africa do quota wise, they will always lose hardened professionals to England once they are finished with South Africa, because they can continue to play for longer, with less pressure for their spot than SA where there are only six franchises through which they have to provide future players opportunities.

 

[DriveClub]

Considering English leagues actually payed more than County Cricket for much of the Championship's history (except for the chance of a lucrative 'benefit year'), I do not see how this can be true. The real reason is, most cricketers wanted to play County Cricket because they saw it as a fiercely competitive competition and a chance to compete in and gain knowledge of English wickets.

It is a pity Indians and Australians have forsaken their first-rate competitions in favour of plastic bashy bashy Macdonald's silliness. Shield cricket was also brilliant at one time, attracting people like Botham (Queensland) and Sobers (South Australia).

Since the plastic bashy bashy macdonalds silliness pays the bills for test cricket around the world I'd say it deserves more respect.

 

[S.Kennedy]

Was referring to the now, not the past - where there are multiple instances of overseas players moving to play league cricket to make a living, as fredfertang has written about before.

Shield cricket was "brilliant" in the 1990s, when there was no overseas players at all sighted.

Our competition has done little different to England's, where they play the majority of their FC cricket in the early and late parts of the season, much like us. The simple reason why the Hain's, Robson's, Magoffin's of the world are there is because there are 18 squads, not six, from which they can gain a game, so they can start to earn a living out of the game earlier, or for longer.

This is entirely different to the Hastings, Bailey, etc.

It doesn't matter what South Africa do quota wise, they will always lose hardened professionals to England once they are finished with South Africa, because they can continue to play for longer, with less pressure for their spot than SA where there are only six franchises through which they have to provide future players opportunities.

Is it correct that they do not even bothering charging now, such is the disinterest in Shield cricket?

It is possible to exaggerate English reliance on foreigners. Although true, some counties (e.g. Northants) are ridiculously over reliant on them, Yorkshire won in 2014 and 2015 with not only an all English team, but practically a full set of Tykes. Durham's success was built upon a cadre of locally sourced academy players. You also have to take in consideration (English) County journeyman, your Broads and Swanns departing from 'lesser' counties, as well as Celtic prospects, players from Scotland and Ireland.

 

[S.Kennedy]

Since the plastic bashy bashy macdonalds silliness pays the bills for test cricket around the world I'd say it deserves more respect.

The whole lot of it is garbage. I have absolutely no respect for franchise cricket.

The IPL is simply horrendous. At least Cricket Australia seem to have steered a course away from corruption and polluted politics so I will hand out some respect there. One of the Bashy teams is in pink pyjamas haha

 

[DriveClub]

The whole lot of it is garbage. I have absolutely no respect for franchise cricket.

The IPL is simply horrendous. At least Cricket Australia seem to have steered a course away from corruption and polluted politics so I will hand out some respect there. One of the Bashy teams is in pink pyjamas haha

Hope this is not a serious post, stop living in the past.

 

[91Jmay]

Come on mate, you can't force players to stay in and play in a country they clearly don't want to anymore

These are professional cricketers, as in it is their profession. If you're offered a better job you take it.

Imagine you're working in an office that is dangerous and you have a boss that will fire you any minute and discriminate against you for factors you can't control, promote less-deserving individuals above you etc.

Who is talking about forcing him? Bizarre strawman you created.

I am calling him weak willed for leaving, not saying he can't. Criticism of someone isn't the same as inhibiting them for doing something.

He hasn't been offered a better job, he has been offered the chance to play for ****ing Hampshire.

 

[vic_orthdox]

I think it's fair to make a different criticism of a batsman rather than a fast bowler, whose careers are a lot more unpredictable due to injury etc.

 

[91Jmay]

Considering English leagues actually payed more than County Cricket for much of the Championship's history (except for the chance of a lucrative 'benefit year'), I do not see how this can be true. The real reason is, most cricketers wanted to play County Cricket because they saw it as a fiercely competitive competition and a chance to compete in and gain knowledge of English wickets.

It is a pity Indians and Australians have forsaken their first-rate competitions in favour of plastic bashy bashy Macdonald's silliness. Shield cricket was also brilliant at one time, attracting people like Botham (Queensland) and Sobers (South Australia).

There is no way English FC cricket is better than Australia's. English Division 1 FC is decent standard but nothing more.

 

[artvandalay]

The whole lot of it is garbage. I have absolutely no respect for franchise cricket.

The IPL is simply horrendous. At least Cricket Australia seem to have steered a course away from corruption and polluted politics so I will hand out some respect there. One of the Bashy teams is in pink pyjamas haha

Mate, this test cricket snobbery won't work nowadays when county cricket itself is a pale imitation of what it used to be and the most prestigious format of the game is being subsidised by T20 leagues around the world, which is really the only way the game can spread beyond the Commonwealth whether we like it or not. It's a good source of income for several cricketers who cannot make it to the top, see Brad Hodge and all the Ranji players in the IPL. One of the reasons the Pakistan team has actually gotten weak is because not many of their players actually play in counties anymore, Imran khan himself would agree with this.

 

[Furball]

Who is talking about forcing him? Bizarre strawman you created.

I am calling him weak willed for leaving, not saying he can't. Criticism of someone isn't the same as inhibiting them for doing something.

He hasn't been offered a better job, he has been offered the chance to play for ****ing Hampshire.

More money, more job security, safer environment fo family to live, less strenuous playing County cricket than international. Ticks all the boxes as far as 'better job' is concerned.

 

[SeamUp]

Easy for people to knock him but he is the one with the wife and young baby and made a difficult decision. He is getting paid to play more cricket instead of fighting for limited spots that you may lose when performing well and getting paid less.

People forget that he has been doing better for longer and earlier than Bavuma and out-performed both Bavuma and Van Zyl for the 'A' team quite comfortably. He has been talked about getting into the SA team since 20/21 and he is now 27. He is not a sure pick in the ODI team and still a reserve in the test team.