Robert Croft has called for a ban on overseas players participating in county cricket. Talking to BBC Radio Wales, Croft suggested that overseas players benefited hugely from their experiences in county cricket and then used that experience against the England team at a later date.

Croft - overseas players not welcome Photo AFP

"I personally wouldn't have them," he said. "They come over here, they have far more knocks and far more chances to bowl. If you look at state cricket in Australia and India, they don't employ English players. Some people might say we're not good enough to go over there, but I don't believe that."

Croft's complaint is not just about the quantity of overseas players, but their quality. The proliferation of international cricket and the use of different squads for one-day and Test cricket has resulted in a reduced amount of Test players being available for county sides. Croft believes that unless the best players are available it is preferable to do without them entirely: "If you have overseas players, you have the best, and if you can't have them, I think the ECB should steal a march and say we don't have overseas players."

The Welsh off-spinner also points out that overseas players can impede the progress of young county players. "It will create an environment for youngsters to come through (if they are absent)" he reasons.

The timing of Croft's comments is somewhat unfortunate. Glamorgan's new overseas player, Queenslander Jimmy Maher, is expected to join up with the squad in the next 24-hours. But Croft insists that he wishes Maher all the best: "I hope Jimmy Maher does well for us, but I just think that now is the ideal opportunity for the ECB and all counties concerned to say - look we're not having any more," he said.

Some may sympathise with Croft regarding the absence of 'big name' players in county cricket this season, though the presence of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath et al. last year provides a strong counter argument. It is true that names such as Daniel Marsh may not set pulses rating in the same way that some of those names of the past have done, but if he can help Leicestershire win some silverware, few at Grace Road will mind.

But perhaps the influx of unfamiliar sounding names is testament to the remarkable strength in depth present in Australian cricket, in particular, at the moment. Certainly Jamie Cox, who has never played a Test or one-day international would prove very hard to replace at Somerset where his captaincy as much as his batting is seen as a major asset.

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