JOHANNESBURG, July 23: Gerald Majola, chief executive of Cricket South Africa (CSA), said the European Union's (EU) Kolpak ruling is killing international cricket and urged affected governments and the ICC 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 ECB allows only two overseas players for each county, this ruling enables the counties to circumvent the limitation and hire professionals from outside England, especially from South Africa.

Speaking after 22-year-old Highveld Lions batsman 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 at school. We could see he had something special, now he has indicated that he wants to try to qualify to play for England, and our investment in him is lost.”

Majola said that England was as badly affected by the ruling as South Africa. “Because of the strength of the pound, they can get a better and cheaper Kolpak player than an English player. This means that English players are having difficulty coming through the system.

“The whole Kolpak thing is affecting international cricket, with more and 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.”—Agencies