I wish Vernon Philander all the best at his new club Somerset in England where he has signed a Kolpak deal.
I’m not always in favour of our players signing these deals, which mean they can’t represent our country any more, but in the case of Vern I make an exception.
Here we have a 34-year-old, still at the top of his game, that has served his country with all he has.
Not the quickest fast bowler in the world, Philander had to rely on skill and his ability to read batsmen to bag his wickets in the colours of the national team.
And yes, because he does so with what looks like minimum effort, he is the sort of bowler that can still go for two or three seasons and still take sakke vol wickets.
Big loss to the Proteas? Undoubtedly so.
But it’s time for big Vern to cash in and I hope he gets a proper retirement package in England.
He will go down as one of the greats in this country - there’s no doubt about that.
In the Test arena that is.
And that’s where my problem comes in.
He has not played limited-overs cricket for the national team in recent years and has not chased the big bucks that T20 cricket is giving players around the world.
Instead, the man from Ravensmead focused on perfecting his art in the longer form of the game where the money is not as good.
OPTION: Quickie Beuran Hendricks. Picture: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix.
Vern, though, needs a proper package and I find it tough to imagine that some of these T20 rookies that haven’t even played Test cricket yet, might sit with more cash than a five-day yster at the end of his career.
Anyway, big ups to Vern for cashing in at the right time on not just chasing after money from the word go.
By doing this, I believe he is one of the last die-hard heroes that prove money isn’t everything.
As for other players looking to do the same thing, they need some sort of security from the International Cricket Council.
I believe it’s up to the ICC to make sure that money is spread out evenly among international players - with the top performers getting rewarded for being the best at what they do.
Here I would suggest some sort of monetary reward for the top 10 batsmen and bowlers at the end of each season in the five-day format.
These guys need some sort of incentive to drive them, just like T20 players.
And unfortunately money talks in this day and age.
NEXT IN LINE: Dwaine Pretorius. Picture: Cathrine Kotze/BackpagePix.
As for Vern’s replacement in the national team, it looks like South Africa have lined up Dwaine Pretorius after he was convinced not to take a Kolpak deal.
With Dane Paterson and Beuran Hendricks in the current squad, it looks like Director of Cricket Graeme Smith and his coaching staff have sorted out the future.
As for the team as a whole, I reckon they look well set to take SA back to the top.
Experienced star Quinton de Kock said last week that it felt like he was going to make his debut in the first Test against England and that is exactly what Smith and company wanted - a fresh start.
Then you’ve got Rassie van der Dussen, who was actually making his debut, saying he was in awe of the coaching staff.
Van der Dussen shared a story of how he went up to the dressing room as a fan of coach Mark Boucher and company 10 years ago and how happy he is to have them coaching him at the moment.
All in all, our cricket looks like it’s on the up once again and while 2019 wasn’t the best of years for the national team, they are well set up to start 2020 with a bang.
TIME TO STEP IT UP: Dane Paterson. Picture: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix.
So like Vern, I hope your vision is 20/20 for next year and that can you can see a clear path to what will give you a better future.
And like the Proteas, this past year was perhaps not an easy one for you. But even they have hope for a better 2020, meaning there is hope for you and me as well.
That’s a wrap from my side for 2019, enjoy the festivities and may you and your family have a blessed 2020.
Chat again next year.