South Africa Duanne Oliver has turned his back on international cricket as he signed a three-year deal with the Yorkshire County Cricket Club which is subject to clearance through Kolpak regulations.
Terming the decision as the 'most difficult' decision of his life, the 26-year-old said that being a professional cricketer, his career will be short lived and that he needs to make most of the opportunities that comes across his way.
"Today I'm announcing possibly the most difficult decision I've ever had to make. I have decided to sigh with Yorkshire County Cricket Club on a 3-year deal as a local player", Oliver said in an Instagram post.
"My decision might be difficult for some to understand but being a professional cricket player is a short-lived career and in order for me to make the most of all my opportunities, I had to consider all my options," he added.
Duanne said that he decided to join the county cricket club after being dropped from the South African Test team post their Bangladesh tour.
"Before the Pakistan tour, I hadn't played Test cricket since the Bangladesh tour in 2017 which led to me exploring other options for my career. I am not one to harp on past decisions and have bad blood as I am grateful for the opportunities I got. I do believe in being proactive and feel that in any career it is always good to have options should it look like a door could close," Duanne said.
"I started considering going this route when I learned of the invaluable experience and opportunities it would open for me," he added.
Duanne has played a total of Test matches for South Africa, scalping 48 wickets with an economy rate of 3.85. He had made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in 2017 and played his last Test against the same team, this month.
Cricket South Africa's Chief Executive Thabang Moroe commented on the matter.
“We find it extremely disappointing that Duanne has taken this step after all the opportunities we have given him, particularly over the past season and going forward, to live his dream of being an international cricketer,” said Moroe in a press release.
“He was upgraded to a national contract during the current season on the strength of his outstanding performances in our Test squad and we offered him a two-year contract which would have given him financial security through to the end of the 2020-2021 season.
“He was not short of opportunity either as he played in all six Castle Lager Test matches against Pakistan and Sri Lanka during the current summer and was also considered for white ball selection.
“If one looks at the bigger picture this is not good news for the global game either that a player who has just broken into the top 20 on the ICC Test match bowling rankings for the first time should opt effectively to bring down the curtain on his international career in favour of playing only in domestic leagues,” concluded Mr. Moroe.
