Cape Town – The Proteas will meet the Netherlands on Sunday (starting at 2:00 a.m., South African time), and there will be a few recognizable faces on the Dutch side, including Roelof van der Merwe, Colin Ackerman, and coach Ryan Cook.
However, they will be most familiar with Van der Merwe, as he played 26 white-ball internationals for the Proteas.
His Proteas debut against Australia at his former home ground SuperSport Park, where he was named the match’s Most Valuable Player, was certainly the most memorable game of the former Titans star’s career.
Van der Merwe engaged the archenemy with his signature “golf tee-off” shot, which was utilized to great effect.
It was a truly extraordinary shot, with Van der Merwe’s head aimed towards square leg but the ball going over the cover boundary and onto the grass bank for six.
In one especially vicious “Roela” assault, he scored 23 runs off the left-arm seamer Nathan Bracken.
Eventually, Van der Merwe completed 48 off 30 balls before producing statistics of 4-0-30-1.
The now 37-year-old has subsequently relocated to the Netherlands, where he made his debut for the national team in 2015.
@ZaahierAdams