Worcestershire will be without Beyers Swanepoel for their County Championship opener against Derbyshire on Friday.
The all-rounder has not been granted a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) by Cricket South Africa (CSA) after leaving a match early whilst representing his domestic side.
Swanepoel featured for Lions in a one-day cup final against the Titans in Johannesburg on Sunday but, after taking 3-44 during his ten-over spell, left the field of play with eight overs remaining to catch a flight to the UK.
He will now face disciplinary action after being charged with bringing the game into disrepute and Ashley Giles, Worcestershire's director of cricket, has admitted that the issue is "out of their hands".
The Pears announced the signing of Swanepoel on a red-ball contract back in December as they aim to bounce back from relegation at the first time of asking this season. However, CSA have communicated their decision to not provide the all-rounder with his NOC which prohibits him from lining up in the County Championship.
Should the 27-year-old fail to come to an agreement with the relevant parties in South Africa, then he could be faced with a difficult ultimatum.
If Swanepoel wishes to continue his domestic career in South Africa then it is anticipated that he will wave his NOC entirely and return home from the UK for the winter.
Conversely, he could choose to halt his domestic career, allowing him to play abroad without obtaining an NOC.
The former Kent man has scored over 1,400 runs and taken nearly 200 wickets in 48 first-class matches so his absence, for what is definitely the opener, and maybe even beyond; is a huge blow to Worcestershire.
Giles, who was appointed as chief executive officer of the club in 2023, has admitted that Swanepoel's decision to leave the game early was made in "error".
"It's difficult to explain why whatever has happened has happened, but it has happened and Beyers would probably say he's made a bit of an error in hindsight," Giles told the BBC.
"I can say there was no pressure on our side on Beyers' arrival in the country at that time, or taking those steps.
"People make mistakes. Beyers is a good man, a good lad. He's made an error in this case and we're trying to work our way through it."
