Cape Town – The Proteas face the Netherlands on Sunday (SA time 2am start) and there will be a few familiar faces in the Dutch side such as Roelof van der Merwe, Colin Ackerman and coach Ryan Cook.
However, it is Van der Merwe they will be most acquainted with as the all-rounder played 26 white-ball internationals for the Proteas.
Renowned for his bulldog spirit, the former Titans star’s most memorable game was undoubtedly his Proteas debut against Australia at his former home ground SuperSport Park where he was named Player of the Match.
Van der Merwe took the arch-enemy head on with his trademark “golf tee-off” shot being utilised to great effect.
It was indeed a remarkable shot with Van der Merwe’s head pointed towards square-leg but with the ball flying over the cover boundary and on to the grass embankment for six instead.
He was particularly severe on Nathan Bracken with the left-armer seamer conceding 23 runs in one particularly brutal “Roela” onslaught.
Van der Merwe eventually finished 48 off 30 balls and before returning figures of 4-0-30-1.
The now 37-year-old has since moved to the Netherlands and made his international debut for the Dutch back in 2015 already.
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