Ryan Klein

A bustling right-arm quick and would-be lower order power hitter, Cape-town born dual national Ryan Klein has forced his way into contention for a spot in the crowded Dutch seam section since spending his summers playing Topklasse cricket in the Netherlands. Coming up at Western Province, Klein made his First Class and List A debuts for the side in 2019. By then his younger brother Kyle had already made the trip the to Netherlands, representing the Dutch at the 2019 under 19 World Cup Qualifiers, and Ryan would follow his younger sibling to Holland two years later, first turning out for HBS Craeyenhout before switching to Voorburg CC.

A debut in orange came quickly, picked for a strong Netherlands A side for their 2021 tour of Ireland, and seven months later a senior call-up followed, Klein making his ODI debut against Afghanistan in January 2022. His T20I debut came in August of that year in a two-match home series against New Zealand, though those remain his only short-format appearances to date. His ODI appearances have also remained sporadic, often making way for county-contracted players when they become available. But when given the chance his consistent efforts in Orange have kept him in consideration, most recently at the 2023 World Cup Qualifier where he was the most economical of the Dutch bowlers across their successful campaign, taking 9 wickets at 25 while conceding less than 4.5 per over.

Meanwhile Klein’s impressive domestic performances have helped ensure he was never far from the selectors’ thoughts, most notably a match-winning 6-15 in the 2023 Topklasse final that delivered Voorburg the title. Neither the quickest nor most naturally combative of the Netherlands’ seam roster, Klein’s chief selling point is a nagging discipline coupled with his promise with the bat, albeit as-yet unfulfilled at the international level.