Cape Town
Morkel’s prediction came following this week’s surprising announcement of fast bowler Duanne Olivier, who became the latest Protea player to leave the international stage.
Olivier signed a three-year Kolpak deal with English county club Yorkshire, much to the disappointment of Cricket South Africa (CSA). Morkel, who retired from international cricket last year and signed a two-year Kolpak deal with Surrey, believes CSA need to take more action if they want to keep talented cricketers in the country. “They have to sit down and come up with plans because they’re going to lose a lot of players in the near future and they need to protect against that,” Morkel told cricket.com.au.
Olivier’s contract is reportedly worth R2.7 million per season, and dwarfs the two-year R900 000 per season contract offered to the 26-year-old by CSA. Morkel suggested that CSA find various alternative roles for players seeking to move on or for those wanting to settle down.
“It’s harder for those guys who are in and out of the team. If the communication channels aren’t great and you’re not sure where you fit in, that’s where the biggest challenge comes in. Communication is the key in any business,” said Morkel.
“It’s never nice ... it always paints a bad picture of cricket in South Africa. But that’s unfortunately part of our DNA and the struggles we have in South Africa.” Meanwhile, Duanne Oliver has been named in a 19-man squad for Yorkshire CC’s South African tour in Potchefstroom. The right-armed seamer is expected to meet his new team-mates and spend five days training with them.
However, having bowled a lot of overs in recent months, the 26-year-old is unlikely to require the same workload as the rest of the squad, who will play a 50-over fixture against Cardiff MCCU on Wednesday, March 13, before tackling Nottinghamshire and Durham in two-day contests.
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