In what was meant to be the end of the professional domestic cricket in the South African cricket landscape, the game has been overshadowed by the incident that occurred in the Cricket SA (CSA) One Day Cup Final between Lions and Titans this past week.
Lions all-rounder Beyers Swanepoel, who was due to play for his county in the UK for their summer, was nowhere to be found in the final overs of the final, which left the Lions playing with 10 men and ultimately costing the side victory.
“It is a very unfortunate situation; we received the report from the match referee. There was about seven overs left when Beyers left the field and when he left the field people [players, management and officials] assumed he was leaving the field on a comfort break, of which you are allowed,” Edward Khoza told SportsBoom.co.za in an exclusive interview.
“After the eight minutes he was not back yet. Match referee instructed the fourth official to check what was going on and that was when they realised the man has left the ground.”
“The minute they realised what was going on, the 12th man was called off from the field as the Lions had to play the remaining overs 10 men. No one was aware of his situation. We need to find out, who gave him permission,” Khoza added.
An NOC or no-obligation certificate allows South African-based players to ply their trade outside the country. “Once the investigation has concluded we will be able to unpack everything but as things stand at the moment, there is no NOC that has been granted to him, and he will have to face the full might of the disciplinary actions against him.”
As things stand, Swanepoel won’t be able to play in the UK with the NOC. He is set to lose his UK and CGL contract upon investigations.
Khoza explained further: “He is not allowed to play; we have informed ECB (English Cricket Board) of the matter.
“He will have to sit on the sidelines until the disciplinary matter is resolved. We sent ECB a letter that he [Swanepoel] doesn’t possess an NOC, and they liaised with the county side. At the end of the day, we are all governed by the ICC.”
- The intended end of professional domestic cricket in South Africa was overshadowed by a recent incident.
- The incident took place during the Cricket South Africa (CSA) One Day Cup Final.
- The final was contested between the Lions and Titans teams.
- The news article hints at controversy but does not provide specific details in the excerpt.
- Full story available in the e-edition of Sunday World via the provided link.
