CSA charges Beyers Swanepoel, withholds NOC to play county cricket

Allrounder Beyers Swanepoel has been denied a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) to play county cricket by Cricket South Africa after walking out on his domestic team during the One-Day Cup final.

Swanepoel had been due to play for Worcestershire in the County Championship, starting on Friday, but will not be able to start the season for them. He will undergo a disciplinary process and has been charged with bringing the game into disrepute.

ESPNcricinfo has learned that CSA is in touch with the ECB, and has communicated the decision not to provide Swanepoel with his NOC at this time. Swanepoel is understood to have breached his contract with the Lions and his future with the team is also in doubt.

Swanepoel will undergo two separate disciplinary processes: one initiated by CSA and the other by the Lions. He will not contest the charges.

It is expected that if he intends to continue his career in South Africa, Swanepoel will forgo this NOC entirely and will return home from the UK for the winter. He also has the option of discontinuing his South African domestic career, which would not require him to obtain an NOC to play abroad. Both these extreme measures will be possibilities only if an agreement between Swanepoel and parties in South Africa cannot be reached.

The decision is a significant blow for Worcestershire, newly relegated to Division Two of the Championship, and set to face Derbyshire in the opening round of fixtures on Friday. Swanepoel was expected to be available to the club for the entire county season, but speaking at the county’s media day on Tuesday, Ashley Giles, the director of cricket, admitted that the matter was now “out of our hands”.

“It’s difficult to explain why whatever has happened has happened, but it has happened and Beyers would probably say he’s made a bit of an error in hindsight,” Giles told BBC Hereford and Worcester.

“I can say there was no pressure on our side on Beyers’ arrival in the country at that time, or taking those steps,” Giles added. “People make mistakes. Beyers is a good man, a good lad. He’s made an error in this case and we’re trying to work our way through it.”

Worcestershire announced on Thursday that they had signed the veteran seamer Oliver Hannon-Dalby on a short-term loan deal from rivals Warwickshire as a result of Swanepoel’s unavailability.

“While the circumstances surrounding this move are not ideal, it was important for us to bring in someone who could settle quickly, contribute immediately and provide a genuine threat with the ball in the opening stages of the season,” Alan Richardson, Worcestershire’s head coach, said.

The club added in a statement: “A further update on Beyers Swanepoel’s situation will be provided in due course.”

The issue arose during Lions’ domestic cup final against Titans at Johannesburg on Sunday. Swanepoel claimed 3 for 44 in his ten-over stint, then walked off the field with eight overs to go to take a flight to the UK. The Lions had no knowledge of his plans and his NOC, which had only been presented to officials on the eve of the match, remained unsigned.

Jono Leaf-Wright, the Lions CEO, confirmed in a statement on Thursday that a formal disciplinary process was underway and said that Swanepoel’s actions did not “align with our values”.

Leaf-Wright said: “Given the nature of the incident, we ask that the media and our community allow the process to unfold with the necessary care and due diligence, ensuring that all protocols are followed. We take matters of this nature very seriously, as we aim to develop not only exceptional players on the field, but individuals of strong character off it.”

1410 GMT – This story was updated to include Leaf-Wright’s statement and Worcestershire’s signing of Hannon-Dalby.

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