South Africa batsman Hashim Amla is considering Kolpak deal: Report

New Delhi: In a sensational revelation, a South African news portal claimed that Hasim Amla is considering a Kolpak move to England in the hope of prolonging his playing career. If such a move materializes, Proteas will lose oen of their best batsman.

According to Independent Media, South Africa's batting mainstay has been approached by various English county clubs. It further claimed that the 34-year-old is considering such a move keeping in mind his young family, and also his recent poor form in the Test series against England.

Interestingly, the right-handed batsman had earlier stated his desire to play in 2019 World Cup. And this latest development will only make things confusing for the batsman.

He has previously played for Essex and Surrey as an overseas player. Amla, regarded as one of the most gifted and fluent batsmen ever, has so far played 107 Tests, 156 ODIs and 38 T20Is for the Proteas, scoring 8281, 7186 and 1070 runs respectively. He also has 51 international hundreds (26 in Tests, 25 in ODIs) in his name.

Earlier this week, another South African – pacer Morne Morkel – was linked to a Kolpak deal. It's worth noting that Proteas have lost a number of players on Kolpak deals, including Kyle Abbott, Rilee Rossouw, Stiaan van Zyl, Dane Vilas and Simon Harmer.

What is a Kolpak deal?

Named after Slovak handball player Maros Kolpak, it is a deal which allows citizens of non-EU countries which have free trade treaties with the Union to play professional sports in any EU country without being considered an overseas player.

For the record, South Africa has Cotonou Agreement with the EU.