Maynard has been looking to strengthen in the close-season

Cricket manager Matthew Maynard says Glamorgan needed to reverse their policy of not signing Kolpak players in order to compete with other counties.

"[It was] just to put ourselves on an even footing," he told BBC Sport Wales.

On Friday, South African paceman Garnett Kruger became the first Kolpak signing at the Welsh county.

The Kolpak term applies to South African and West Indies cricketers able to play UK county cricket without being classed as overseas players.

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Chairman Paul Russell repeatedly called for a long-term view and defended the club's refusal to go down the Kolpak route.

"Our approach is first to turn to players developed by the Glamorgan academy, and most of those are from Wales," Russell told BBC Sport in a 2006 interview.

"We next look at English-qualified players developed by other counties and who need a change.

"Then we look to supplement the squad with overseas players who are demonstrably better than anything we can put into the side.

I see an opportunity for someone with real pace to come in as a shock bowler and try to unsettle batsmen Matthew Maynard on Kruger

With the stadium work now nearing completion, it seems that the focus is turning back towards results.

"[Kruger is the] first Kolpak signing for Glamorgan and one that I'm hopeful will be a great success," Maynard told BBC Radio Wales' The Back Page programme at the weekend.

"We need to strengthen the squad - we made some progress last year and we need to push on from that."

Kruger spent the last two summers as a Kolpak player at Leicestershire.

"I heard he was unsettled last summer at Leicester, they were using him as a stock bowler," said Maynard.

"I see an opportunity for someone with real pace to come in as a shock bowler and try to unsettle batsmen."

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