South African Veteran To Take Legal Action Over Contract Breach

Former South African bowler Vernon Philander has filed a lawsuit against former Cricket South Africa authorities over a contract issue that occurred during his international career.

The 36-year-old is regarded as one of the best bowlers to have represented his country, having amassed 224 wickets in 64 Tests at an average of 22.3.

He had 13 five-wicket hauls and declared his retirement from the game following the home series against England in January 2020.

Philander said that the CSA offered him a new contract in 2018 when the board was under pressure due to multiple South African players quitting the national team for Kolpak contracts in England.

Philander opened up about his frustrations during the last parts of his international career with Cricket South Africa. He claimed that he was denied a further extension of contract.

It should be mentioned that Philander is the second-fastest bowler to 50 wickets in Test cricket, and his consistency in the longer format was flawless.

Philander stated that, in light of the looming Kolpak deals, Cricket South Africa chose to strengthen his contract in order to retain him playing for the country. The all-rounder stated that he was pleased with his new deal and that it was the reason he did not leave the national team.

In an interview with IOL, he stated, “It was during the 2018 tour of Sri Lanka when Cricket SA were very concerned about players leaving the national team and taking up Kolpak contracts in England. We had just lost a host of bowlers like Kyle, Marchant, Parny to Kolpak and Morne Morkel also retired to join Surrey. CSA were worried about losing more and they were aware that I had plenty of offers from a number of English counties.”

“It was during these meetings that it was discussed that my contract would be upgraded if I remained eligible for the Proteas. After the meetings, I immediately called Arthur and told him I was happy with the proposal and that I would continue playing for the Proteas in terms of the new agreements,” he further added.

The veteran stated that he only earned the promised amount for only one season. He was further excluded since the CSA implemented a ranking system and cited his inability to play franchise cricket as the basis for his downgrading. However, at the time, he was in the list of ICC Test Rankings best bowlers.