End of Kolpak era in England is boost for South Africa says Abbott

FILE PHOTO: Cricket - South Africa v Sri Lanka - Second Test cricket match - Newlands Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa - 5/1/17 - South Africa's Kyle Abbott appeals unsuccessfully for the wicket of Sri Lanka's Suranga Lakmal. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings

PRETORIA (Reuters) - The end of the Kolpak system in England will be a major boost for South African cricket’s attempts to keep its best talent at home in a more competitive domestic scene, according to seam bowler Kyle Abbott.

The United Kingdom's exit from the European Union on Jan. 1 closed a loophole that gave anyone with a work permit from a country that has an associate trading agreement with the EU the same rights as an EU worker.