Johannesburg: South African cricketers Nicky Boje, Andrew Hall and Lance Klusener have been rescued by the American Premiere League (APL) from just sitting on the sidelines and watching their former colleagues playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) while they earn their livelihood in India.
The three players, who were banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after they became the first South Africans to sign up for the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) two years ago, have been surviving by participating in Indian teams in various capacities.
Now the trio will get their first taste of approved Twenty20 cricket as the APL, for which they have all signed up, is set to be recognised by the ICC.
The APL has been granted official status by the American Cricket Board, according to the website Sport24, which means that the APL will also be recognised by the ICC.
A recent amendment to the constitution of the ICC will allow for any tournament in future to be viewed as authorised, if it has the sanction of the host country's cricket authority.
This ruling has opened the door for Boje, Hall and Klusener to find their way back into world cricket, provided that they do not play for the ICL again. The players are believed to have already started negotiations to get out of their existing Indian contracts to start playing in the APL in October.
"Each player will earn at least two million rands, besides the amounts that the respective teams will spend on him and the match money he will earn," an unidentified APL source was quoted as saying by Sport24.
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