This was confirmed by Free State Cricket Union (FSCU) chief executive Johan van Heerden who said he spoke to De Lange this week and he believes he could still push for a regular place in Proteas side.
Players like Kyle Abbott‚ Rilee Rossouw‚ David Wiese‚ Colin Ingram and Stiaan van Zyl‚ Simon Harmer and Hardus Viljoen have effectively ended their Proteas careers after signing Kolpak contracts with various English counties.
“I spoke to him and he told me that he has not given signing a Kolpak contract much thought because he believes that he could still push for a regular place in the Proteas sides‚" said Van Heerden.
- Kolpak affect SA T20 squad selectionTwo of what many South Africans regard as the evils of modern cricket have affected the selection of the national squad for a T20 series against Sri Lanka.
"When he joined us from the Titans‚ he said he wanted regular game time because he was competing with established fast bowlers in Pretoria.
"That is still his mission and he strongly believes that he could force his way into the Proteas in the coming months.”
De Lange has played two Tests‚ four one-day internationals and six T20 matches for the Proteas after making his debut in 2011‚ and played his last international match in 2015.
- Kolpak takes another Protea - David Wiese signs contract with SussexProteas limited overs all-rounder David Wiese has joined Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw and signed a Kolpak contract that effectively ends his national team career.
Van Heerden said even if De Lange was interested in signing a Kolpak contract‚ he would not qualify because the rules stipulates that a player must have played at least one Test or 10 ODIs in the last 18 months.
“He played the last of his only two Test matches for South Africa in 2012 against New Zealand in Wellington and he has only played four ODIs with the last being against England in Bloemfontein last year.
At the moment he is not eligible and he is focusing on forcing his way into the South African side‚” said Van Heerden.
- TMG Digital
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