Windies captain Jason Holder demands minimum wages for cricketers to curtail Kolpak exits

Windies skipper Jason Holder has called for a minimum wage for cricketers to stop them from quitting international cricket, in the wake of South African pacer Duanne Olivier signing a Kolpak deal with Yorkshire. A Kolpak deal means Olivier will not be available for South Africa to play international cricket. This step has been taken by various other cricketers before Olivier due to the financial lure of domestic cricket in England. [caption id=“attachment_5998851” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Jason Holder. Reuters[/caption] Holder expressed his disappointment at the news and asked for a minimum salary for cricketers to ensure international cricket remains at the forefront. Windies have also struggled to keep some of the big names playing for their side due to clash between international matches and T20 leagues. “It’s really sad to see another quality player lost to Kolpak cricket,” Holder was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo. “Until something is properly done to keep players a little bit more grounded financially I don’t know how much longer you can continue putting up the front.” “Personally I have had a few conversations with people at FICA, they are doing a hell of a job trying to get a level playing field for everyone. I don’t know if we’ll get there as soon as we like but hopefully in the not too distant future we can find common ground. Probably the ICC and FICA needs to get together and institute a substantial minimum salary so that players will feel comfortable coming home to represent their country," Holder added. Olivier is the latest name in the long list of high-profile players from South Africa who decided to move away from international cricket by signing Kolpak deals. Before the 26-year-old fast bowler, Morne Morkel, Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw also took a similar step.