By Neil Manthorp Zaahier adams
Jacques Kallis is leading a trio of international stars from Newlands by leaving the Cape Cobras and heading for Port Elizabeth to join the Warriors. He will be joined in the Eastern Cape next season by Mark Boucher and Ashwell Prince.
The trio were all left out of the Cobras line-up for the Pro20 semifinal against the Titans two months ago despite willingly agreeing to return home with the rest of the Proteas squad after the three-Test series against India.
Monde Zondeki was also not chosen, with only Graeme Smith and JP Duminy being selected. The Cobras eventually lost the match by six runs and thereby failed to qualify as one of South Africa's two representatives at the maiden Twenty20 Champions League to be held in Dubai or India later this year.
All three rejected players made little secret of their disappointment at the time with Boucher telling the Cape Times that they "… felt like pawns in somebody else's game."
"Whatever the circumstances of their decision we are absolutely delighted to have them joining us," said Warriors chief executive Dave Emslie on Thursday.
"Jacques Kallis is one of the best players in the world, one of the greatest ever, and Mark Boucher is also a legend of the game, so when players of their calibre decide to move here it is obviously a huge day in our history," Emslie said.
"And Ashwell, of course, grew up here and played his formative cricket here, so to have him returning as an established Test match player is very, very special."
Cape Cobras coach Shukri Conrad took a philosophical approach to the news that three Proteas were leaving the Western Cape franchise, but was "disappointed" that he did not have the opportunity to speak to Prince, who he holds in high regard, prior to the left-hander making his decision.
"How do I feel about Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher leaving? To be honest, and with all due respect, I mean you can't lose something you never really had, can you?
"In my three years with the Cobras, Jacques has played one semifinal," Conrad told the Cape Times yesterday.
"I am really disappointed to lose Ashwell as he does actually play for the Cobras. He has always made himself available when he has not had Proteas' commitments.
"He is model professional. Maybe he also just wanted to go back home, it's just a pity that we never had a chance to talk about it," said Conrad.
Prince, who made his first- class debut for Eastern Province alongside players like Kepler Wessels and Eldine Baptiste before joining Western Province almost 10 years ago, said in a statement yesterday that he was delighted to return to his roots. "I am very excited to be rejoining my boyhood team and am looking forward to taking the team back to the glory days."
Kallis said in a statement: "I look forward to scoring lots of runs and taking lots of wickets for the franchise.
"I would like to reward the franchise with a trophy or two in the cabinet" said Kallis.
Exclusion from the team is believed to have been the last straw for the players amidst growing disillusionment over the way the Franchise is being administered. CEO of amateur cricket, Nabeal Dien, recently resigned amidst allegations of financial mismanagement concerning contract tenders and there are even rumours that president Ebrahim is running Franchise fuel accounts at his own garage which he owns in Kenilworth.
The Cobras loss, of course, is the Warriors gain and Emslie wasn't interested in potential reasons: "Jacques is a Cape Town icon. In the past there has been a perception that we have problems attracting new players and even keeping our best young ones. That is all about to change," said Emslie.