Glamorgan eye de Lange as SA Kolpak exodus continues

Glamorgan are heading the race to sign Marchant de Lange as South Africa's Kolpak exodus to county cricket continues apace.

De Lange, a 26-year-old fast bowler, last played for South Africa in 2016 in an ODI against England in Bloemfontain, but with Brexit expected to end the Kolpak route into county cricket, he has become the latest player to grasp his opportunity while it still exists.

South Africa has a trading agreement with the EU which entitles its citizens to work throughout Europe, but expectations are that such licence would be withdrawn as the UK seeks a more restricted approach to immigration.

With international opportunities for white South Africans increasingly limited because of transformation quotas, the rush has been marked. David Wiese joined Sussex on Monday; Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw signed up with Hampshire last week.

Glamorgan also possess two South Africans. Colin Ingram is entering his third summer as a Kolpak player in Wales, while Jacques Rudolph (who reversed his own Kolpak status for a brief second coming in the South Africa side) remains Glamorgan's one permitted overseas player.

There is some doubt as to whether de Lange meets the requirement for a Kolpak registration. The last of his two Tests came almost five years ago and he has only played in 10 limited-overs internationals for South Africa.

Last season, around 4% of the 400-plus county players were registered as Kolpak players or held EU passports, a sizeable reduction compared to the peak a decade or so earlier, due to financial incentives from the ECB for the development and fielding of English-qualified players.