The South African and now Dutch all-rounder Roelof van der Merwe
- Dutch all-rounder Roelof van der Merwe is back in his home country for the inaugural SA20.
- Van der Merwe will play for the Eastern Cape Sunrisers along with several T20 World Cup players such as Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs and Marco Jansen.
- Last year the Netherlands gave Proteas a shock exit from the T20 World Cup in Australia.
Former Proteas all-rounder and now Dutch cricketer Roelof van der Merwe says it won’t be safe to mention the Netherlands’ historic T20 World Cup win against South Africa in Adelaide last year.
Needing a win against the minnow team to reach the semi-finals, the Proteas batting lineup fell short by 13 runs.
Van der Merwe was part of the Dutch eleven, taking a spectacular catch to dismiss the in-form David Miller and dash Proteas’ hopes of chasing a modest 159.
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It was the Netherlands’ first T20 win against South Africa and resulted in Proteas’ embarrassing exit from the T20 World Cup in Australia.
Van der Merwe, who played 13 T20s and 13 ODIs for Proteas from 2009 to 2010, is back on home soil after being bought by Sunrisers Eastern Cape for R175k for the inaugural SA20.
The six co-owned Indian Premier League (IPL) teams have met and started their preparations ahead of the tournament kicking off on Tuesday.
Van der Merwe, who shares the Sunrisers dressing room with Aiden Markram, Marco Jansen and Tristan Stubbs, said he would not mention the Netherlands’ World Cup triumph.
“Obviously, the game between the Netherlands and Proteas is a bit under wraps at the moment, there’s not much talk about it. I mean, it was a tough game for them,” Van der Merwe told reporters on Thursday.
“You know, obviously, essentially knocking them out in the World Cup, so it’s not something you just talk about at the breakfast table.”
Van der Merwe, who played for the Titans for several years before emigrating to the Netherlands, is an experienced T20 player who has played in the IPL, Big Bash League, Caribbean Premier League and The Hundred.
The Sunrisers Eastern Cape kick off their SA20 campaign against the Pretoria Capitals next Thursday at Gqeberha.
Van der Merwe admits that the relatively slow wicket at St George’s Park will suit his style of spinning, but says it’s just a matter of adapting to any conditions.
“I’ve loved coming here in the past, it’s always been spin friendly, but whether you play Joburg and Pretoria or wherever,” Van der Merwe said.
“I think you get so used to adapting to different fields and different areas around the world, so I think it’s part of the game these days. You just have to do your best for whatever team you play for and the guys you play with. you play. I think it’s important that you give everything for the group at that stage”.
Thursday’s game starts at 5:30 p.m.
Sunrisers squad in the Eastern Cape:
Aiden Markram, Ottneil Baartman, Marco Jansen, Tristan Stubbs, Sisanda Magala, Junaid Dawood, Mason Crane, Jon-Jon Smuts, Jordan Cox, Adam Rossington, Roelof van der Merwe, Marques Ackerman, James Fuller, Brydon Carse, Sarel Erwee, Aya GqamaneTom Abell
