South Africa remain confident that Hashim Amla and Morne Morkel are committed to playing for their country after both were linked with county deals from next year on a Kolpak basis.

Were either to sign for counties via the EU loophole, rather than as an overseas player, it would mean their full retirement from international cricket. But a senior source in the South African camp has told the Guardian that they have recently pledged their continuation.

There is every reason for this to be the case until the end of the upcoming South African summer at least, with two marquee Test series against India and Australia certainly appealing for the senior pair. The latter is considered the Holy Grail by the Proteas, having not beaten Australia in a home Test series since their readmission in 1992.

Amla, the 34-year-old batsman, has previously stated his intention to play on until the 2019 World Cup in England and with a lucrative deal in the Indian Premier League and a marquee slot in South Africa’s new T20 Global League, the incentive to throw in his lot with an English county for one final contract remains hard to envisage.

Morkel, the 32-year-old fast bowler who was South Africa’s man of the series in the recent 3-1 defeat by England, is known to have been touted around the counties this year for a possible deal next summer, although his agent, Weber van Wyk, has previously insisted this was as an overseas player – albeit not ruling out a possible switch to Kolpak status down the line.

When contacted by the Guardian this week, Van Wyk maintained that “at the moment [Morkel] is still focused on international cricket”. Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire are among the counties monitoring the situation, having been impressed by his 19 wickets against England.

Though Morkel has previously conceded the 2019 World Cup may be a tournament too far for him – he would be 34 by then and has only this year recovered from a career-threatening back injury – speaking after the team arrived in Cape Town last week, he said: “I’m committed to the Proteas and for me that’s the most important thing.

“We’re in a bit of a slump now and it’s important for our senior players to stick together and help the team get back to a place where the public and everyone can be proud of us.”

The fear in South Africa is that there is no smoke without fire and things could yet change after the home summer, when the appeal of the opposition in the future tours programme drops off over the following two years. There is certainly past precedent too.

The seamer Kyle Abbott played for South Africa until January this year before retiring after 11 Tests caps, aged 29, to take up a four-year Kolpak deal at Hampshire – along with his compatriot Rilee Rossouw – that had been privately agreed in early 2016 when he was playing for Worcestershire.

Speaking at the time of Abbott’s retirement – one that rocked South Africa given he had been instrumental to their away series win in Australia – the Proteas captain, Faf du Plessis, described it as a “red flag” Kolpak deal and a problem that needed addressing.

Du Plessis said: “It’s important that we look at how we can learn from this and make sure that this isn’t something that two years from now, has meant we’ve lost 10 or 15 players and we say, ‘oopsie’.”

The United Kingdom’s impending exit from the EU could mean time is running out for players to take this route. There was an influx at the start of this summer beyond Abbott and Rossouw, with Stiaan van Zyl and David Wiese (both Sussex), Dane Vilas (Lancashire) and Simon Harmer (Essex) leaving South Africa light in reserves beyond their first choice XI.

Ottis Gibson, the England bowling coach whose appointment as South Africa’s new head coach is expected to be imminent after the two boards agreed compensation, will certainly be keen to stem the talent drain from South African cricket, having seen his time in charge of West Indies dogged by players committing to more lucrative domestic cricket.