Ashley Giles has launched a withering attack on 'lazy' counties who look for a quick fix by filling their teams with Kolpak players.
Foreign imports 'dangerous for our game' says England selector
England selector Ashley Giles has launched a withering attack on 'lazy' counties who look for a quick fix by filling their teams with Kolpak players.
Giles, who is also director of coaching at Warwickshire, accused the clubs of jeopardising the future of the national team by severely reducing the opportunity to develop homegrown talent.
The former England spinner lambasted the policy which has seen clubs exploit a legal loophole, which gives players from countries with free-trade agreements with the European Union the right to play in domestic cricket.
His comments come a little over two weeks after a Division Two match between Leicestershire and Northants at Grace Road saw 10 Kolpak players involved.
Speaking to the
Daily Mail, he said: "We've got a serious problem and it will only get worse.
"I was aware of it before but it has become more obvious to me since taking this coaching job.
"We've let this situation creep up on us so that it has reached ridiculous proportions.
Dangerous
"As an England selector, I sometimes think: 'Who am I supposed to be looking at here?'
"It's dangerous for our game and I think it has gone too far already. It has to be pulled back, but how we do that, I just don't know."
Giles said that counties should be spending ECB funding on developing future England stars and not on the short term solution of drafting in foreign talent.
"Of course there is a temptation to go down that path but I'm keen to resist it," he added.
"In our last couple of Warwickshire games we have played a fully-qualified side of 11 English players.
"In the short term, having so many Kolpak players around will raise standards. But in the long term it will severely reduce the pool of talent available to England
"This is a responsibility that lies with the counties, who should produce players who can play Test cricket for England.
"They get handouts from the ECB and that's what they should be doing. Signing Kolpak players is like easy shopping, internet shopping.
"Instead of getting out there and doing the hard yards trying to find what you're looking for, you can just have it delivered to your door."
