Share

Ashwell Prince in 'K' racial row

Cape Town - Former Proteas cricketer Ashwell Prince has become embroiled in a major racial row in England where he plays county cricket for Lancashire.

This comes after Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale became the first county cricketer to be accused of a racism offence after he was charged by the England & Wales Cricket Board on Wednesday.

The incident occurred on September 3 when Yorkshire were looking to wrap up the county championship at Old Trafford.

According to The Telegraph, Gale and Prince were understood to have exchanged insults in the final moments on the third day of the match.

Gale moved himself in the field in an attempt to squeeze in one further over. He moved closer to Prince who is alleged to have told him to “f*** off back to cover point.” Gale responded by saying “Well you can f*** off back to your own country you Kolpak f*****.”

Kolpak players are cricketers born outside England but able to play in the country as non-overseas players according to European Union law.

Gale was subsequently banned from taking part in his side's trophy presentation.

A statement from the ECB at the time read: "After an incident in the match between Lancashire and Yorkshire the ECB made a complaint to the cricket discipline commission about the conduct of Andrew Gale. In these circumstances it was not felt appropriate for Mr Gale to be involved in the presentation."

The case against Gale is likely to hinge in whether the word Kolpak is racist. The Telegraph reports that Kolpak could be construed as racism in this case because Prince is a person of colour and was brought up in Apartheid South Africa.

Yorkshire said they are standing by their captain and will fight the charge.

Prince, 37, earlier this year announced his retirement from domestic cricket in South Africa and said the English county season with Lancashire would be his last.

Prince made his Test debut in 2002, and went on to play 66 Test matches and 52 ODIs for the Proteas.

He scored 3 665 Test runs at an average of 41.64, including 11 centuries and 11 fifties.

He made 1 018 ODI runs at an average of 35.10, including three fifties, while he only played one T20 international, scoring five runs.
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1135 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1311 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2008 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE