At 16, Arendse, then a dashing top order batsman, became the youngest player to represent Western Province. He was the same age when he began to study law at the University of Cape Town. In time he evolved into a crafty off-spinner who could provide gritty resistance down the order. But there would be no such lowering of standards in his professional life, where he became a prominent advocate and a leading figure in cricket administration. After rising through the ranks of the Western Province Cricket Association, he became a director of Cricket South Africa in 2004 and succeeded Ray Mali to the CSA presidency in 2007. His time at the helm was never dull, but he clashed with too many senior figures, players and administrators, and stood down a year later claiming he had never had the full backing of provinces or CSA's hierarchy.

Arendse is a leading proponent of the racial transformation of South African cricket. In 2004 Arendse represented the Zimbabwe board during ICC hearings into claims of racial discrimination, making the headlines after he reportedly interrupted witnesses and then grabbed the players' lawyer.
Telford Vice September 2008