Roelof van der Merwe

In a side sometimes light on big-stage experience, the Netherlands’ Roelof van der Merwe has seen it all. As well as playing internationally for the Dutch and before that for his native South Africa, van der Merwe has taken the field for a more than a dozen franchise or domestic sides, turning out in the IPL, CPL, MSL, BBL, T20 Blast, the Hundred, the Abu Dhabi T10 and even the Hong Kong Blitz.

Nicknamed “the Bulldog” for his tenacity and ferocious competitiveness in all aspects of the game, picking highlights out of the left-arm spinning all-rounder’s storied career might be compared to finding hay in a haystack. Whether it’s in Orange defending six off the final over to tie a T20I against Zimbabwe after giving up a maximum first ball, or in Somerset colours smashing an implausible, irrepressible 165* after walking in at 22-5 to deliver an impossible victory over Surrey, or taking any number of catches that others might not even consider a half chance, van der Merwe’s never-say-die attitude has been an asset to each of the many teams he’s played for.

Early in his career that was the Titans and South Africa. Van der Merwe first represented his native country at the 2004 Under-19 World Cup, going on to make his professional debut for Northerns two years later. He was soon a regular for the Titans franchise, topping the wicket-takers table in the MTN Domestic Championship to help the Titans to the title in 2008, a season where he swept the domestic player awards. An equally successful season the following year saw the Titans retain their title and earned van der Merwe a Proteas call-up. Despite impressing on T20I debut with a brisk 48 on debut against Australia, and in the ODI series that followed, van der Merwe would remain on the fringes of the national side for the ensuing years, missing out on selection for the 2011 World Cup.

By then his globe-trotting franchise career had taken off however, picked up by Royal Challengers Bangalore in the nascent IPL whom he represented for two seasons before switching to Delhi Daredevils in 2011. A stint with Amsterdamsche Cricket Club in 2015 would result in his international return, the Netherlands coach Anton Roux persuading him to take advantage of his maternal Dutch heritage and secure a Netherlands passport. The decision allowed van der Merwe to make his debut in Orange in their 2015 home series against Nepal, as well as allowing him to play as a local in County Cricket, of which Somerset (whom he’d played for as an overseas in 2011) were quick to take advantage.

Now settled in the UK van der Merwe is an established crowd favourite at Taunton, but remains a regular on the franchise circuit during the northern winter. He returned to South Africa in 2023 to play for Sunrisers Eastern Cape, collecting 20 wickets and the Bowler of the Season award, while in the CPL he signed for the Royals. Meanwhile van der Merwe continues to represent the Dutch when his Somerset commitments allow. His second international career has taken him to three T20 World Cups and finally a long-awaited ODI World Cup in 2023.