Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw will both leave South Africa to take Kolpak deals with English county side Hampshire.
This was confirmed after the completion of the second Test in Cape Town, which saw the Proteas comprehensively beat Sri Lanka by 282 runs.
There had been speculation throughout the Test match after news about Abbott’s decision broke on Tuesday, but Thursday’s announcement did come as somewhat of a shock given how well Abbott has been bowling and how valuable a member of the South African bowling line-up he has become.
Skipper Faf du Plessis confirmed after the Test that Abbott had played his last Test match for the Proteas.
“That was not the way we wanted it. It was something that we didn’t expect and it was out of our control. We did get together and spoke to Kyle and tried to change his mind. Kyle had already set up what he wanted to do. Then it was just about me making sure the boys were focused on the job at hand,” Du Plessis said after the conclusion of the second Test.
The 29-year-old Abbott addressed the media at Newlands saying that the decision to leave has been one of the “hardest decisions of my life”.
Abbott’s reasons for leaving South Africa and the Proteas was not about the quota system, he said.
“Ever since I played in South Africa, at every level, there has always been a quota system. I have never used it as an excuse and I won’t now. I need to pay bills, I need to buy groceries.”
"Ever since I've played SA cricket there's always been a quota system/ targets. I've never used that as an excuse & I won't use it now" pic.twitter.com/zqdMawisIA
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) January 5, 2017
Du Plessis confirmed that Abbott would not be a part of the squad that does battle against Sri Lanka in the third Test in Johannesburg starting on January 12.
Abbott has played 11 Test matches since making his debut against Pakistan back in 2013 at Centurion.
He took nine wickets in that match, but had to wait longer than a year before he was awarded a second cap.
According to a statement released by Cricket South Africa (CSA), Rossouw will also be joining Abbott at Hampshire.
“I have loved representing the Proteas and will watch from afar with great affection every time they take the field from now on but I am hugely dedicated to making Hampshire cricket successful on the field,” Rossouw said in the statement.
Rossouw also emphasised that long-term career security was the main reason for taking up the county contract.
Rossouw played 36 ODIs and 15 T20Is for South Africa after making his international debut in August 2014. While he had never quite secured a long-term spot in South Africa’s squads, Rossouw was their highest run-scorer in their most recent limited-overs series: he played all five ODIs against Australia at home in October 2016 and scored 311 runs at an average of 78.
CSA president Haroon Lorgat confirmed that Abbott’s national contract had been terminated and that Rossouw’s was in the process of being terminated.
“From CSA’s perspective it is a loss as we invest immeasurable amounts which include premium time, finance, technical, high performance coaching followed by development tours and providing general player welfare over a long period of time,” said Lorgat.
Haroon Lorgat on Rilee Rossouw. "We have invested huge amounts of money ...& sadly no return on that in the years to come" pic.twitter.com/Lhxjxpo4dp
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) January 5, 2017
“If somebody gives up their right to play for the Proteas, there’s not much more we can do. Instead of crying over spilt milk, we will invest in future Proteas.”
Rossouw’s deal with Hampshire is for three years, and Abbott confirmed his is for four years.
- Additional reporting ESPNCricinfo