South African pacer Hardus Viljoen terminates his Kolpak Deal

Pacer Hardus Viljoen, who signed a Kolpak deal in 2016, decided to terminate it with immediate effect. He bid adieu to his English county club Derbyshire by mutual consent of both the parties. Earlier, he signed a three-year contract with the club but did not wish to continue any further.

The 29-year-old is in a purple patch in his career at the moment. He has been bowling extremely well over the last few months and did well in all the T20 leagues he played around the world. After making his county debut in 2017, Hardus accounted for 62 first-class wickets at an average of 28. Overall, he plied his trade for the club in a total of 53 matches across formats and accounted for 99 wickets.

Hardus Viljoen wants to explore the other options as well

Now that he has left county cricket, the future plan of action for Hardus Viljoen is not known yet. But, according to Dave Houghton, the head of Derbyshire cricket, the South African wants to explore the other options further his career. He further wished Viljoen the best for his future endeavours.

“Hardus wishes to look at different options to further his career and the decision was made to release him from his contract with Derbyshire. I would like to wish him all the best for the future,” said Houghton as quoted by Sport 24.

Due to the immense competition amongst the pacers in South Africa, Hardus Viljoen had his opportunities limited. Despite the talent and some consistent domestic performances, he was constantly ignored for the national team. He only got an opportunity to play one Test in his career against England. He bowled a total of 19 overs in the game and picked up the wicket of Sir Alastair Cook, his only Test wicket. Since his kolpak contract is terminated, Viljoen is also eligible to represent South Africa again.

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