Lower pay in international cricket has made Kolpak deals and T20 leagues rise in demand, says Faf du Plessis

South Africa has produced some great cricketing talent over the years but has failed to achieve the desired level of success. While various factors have contributed to such being the case, Kolpak deals and opportunities to take part on the money-laden T20 circuits have become the major reasons behind South Africa losing some of its great talents.

Kolpak deals allow cricketers to play in the European Union member nations without being considered overseas players but they lose the right to play for their country as long as the season is on. Low wages while playing for the Proteas and for some, only occasional chances to represent the country, have led to an increasing number of players opting for the same with time. Some notable players to have done so of late include Wayne Parnell, Morne Morkel, Kyle Abbott, Rilee Rossouw and most recently, Duanne Olivier, while AB de Villiers retired rather early but still continues to participate in various T20 tournaments.

“Cricket South Africa, I know they have been trying to put things into place. There's almost two groups of players when it comes to South African cricketers. There's I suppose more of your Test players. For them the Kolpak option is the dangling carrot and then for your white-ball specialists, it is probably the circuit, the T20 circuit around the world. So both of those areas are big concerns for cricketers in South Africa,” South African skipper Faf du Plessis said addressing the concern, reported Cricbuzz.

“So I think, naturally, with some of the guys finishing, they'll do that [participate in the T20 circuits]. Certainly, that will become the biggest issue for us to try and stay away from for all players and that's, you know, including myself," he added.

Though the option is available to 100 countries, the Carribean and South Africa have been the most affected by Kolpak deals. In the present decade, there have been long stand-offs between the West Indies Cricket Board and its players union demanding for better pay and introduction of schemes such as minimum pay. So while the ideal situation would involve more evenly spread finances among the countries, minimum wage for international cricketers can also go a long way in solving the problem.

"I think that is the perfect world, but we don't live in a perfect world so I don't think -- I think your England, Australia, India will always be the higher-paid nations. If that changes, it will be amazing for the rest of the world, but I think it's a long, long way from happening and that's one way that you can try. West Indies are a great example. They probably are the worst off and that is why they have lost so many players to the circuit. So, it would be great to see that happening, but I think it's a long way from happening," Du Plessis concluded on the matter with his views on the minimum wage proposals.