Du Plooy in limbo as Middlesex fight ECB overseas ruling

Middlesex say they remain hopeful that captain Leus Du Plooy can play again this season, despite a ruling making him a overseas player with immediate effect.

On Saturday, Middlesex announced Du Plooy would leave at the end of the season as he wanted to recommit his international future to South Africa, voiding his current deal with the county.

They believed it would only change his status for next year, but the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) told Middlesex on Monday that Du Plooy’s stated intentions reclassify him as an overseas player.

“We’ll continue to work with our legal teams and discuss this with the ECB, and hope for a positive resolution which means that Leus can play domestic cricket in England for the rest of the season,” said director of cricket Alan Coleman.

Du Plooy has yet to receive a South Africa call-up, but said on Saturday that “an opportunity has arisen” for him to represent the country of his birth.

He had previously played for Middlesex as a local player, due to holding a Hungarian passport and a desire to qualify for England under post-Brexit regulations.

But his admission he wants to play for South Africa changes his status. Middlesex say the ECB confirmed that change on Monday, a day after the deadline to register overseas players for the rest of the season.

Du Plooy travelled with his team-mates to Durham for Middlesex’s County Championship Division Two match, which began on Tuesday, but Coleman said he was not considered for selection once the ECB advice was received.

“We were hopeful that the ECB would change their position but that wasn’t so, and therefore Leus misses out on this game,” he said in a video posted on the Middlesex website.

“We have sought legal advice and we continue to do so. We’ll continue to work with the PCA [Professional Cricketers’ Association], who have been brilliant in their help with us so far.

“The challenge of the regulation is that in theory, by Sunday 6 September, we had to inform the ECB of our intention to register a further overseas player.

“We missed that deadline because we didn’t receive the ECB communication until Monday morning.”