The Full Toss | Kyle Abbott and the Kolpak Conundrum

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For starters let me make my own position on Kolpak players clear: I’m utterly conflicted. Like most England cricket fans I can see the benefits of South Africans moving to the UK – where would we have been without the likes Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott over the years? – but I do feel slightly uncomfortable when former internationals move to counties without any intention (or possibility) of playing for England.

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What’s more, I have some sympathy if the player in question isn’t being selected for South Africa (or hasn’t been selected as much as he should) because of his skin colour. A career as a professional cricketer can be very short; so it makes financial sense to cash in when one can. As a large number of Kolpak players have families to support, it seems unfair to criticise people for looking after their nearest and dearest.

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When I first heard that Hants had signed a South African opener, I assumed he would be a squad fodder. I didn’t immediately recognise his name (sorry Rilee!) but a bit of digging soon put me right. Rossouw is actually a highly promising player. He’s 27 years old, has a first class average of 44 with eighteen hundreds, and he’s averaged 39 in over thirty ODIs. He’s also a more than handy T20 player.

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