Netherlands' famous win over South Africa was one of the biggest upsets in ICC World Cup history. The Proteas side went down to a Non-Test playing nation for the first time in ODIs as they were outclassed by the Dutch at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. This was the Netherlands' only third win in ODI World Cup history.
The Netherlands have a bunch of players originally born in other countries and going on to play for them on the International circuit. Many were on display in the South Africa vs Netherlands game in Dharamsala. Notably, there were South African players too part of the Dutch side who played a part in downing the Proteas brigade. Here are three South African-born players who played for the Netherlands in SA vs NED clash.
1. Roelof van der Merwe: The most known South African-born to be part of Netherlands' winning team was Roelof van der Merwe. The veteran all-rounder has played 19 ODIs in his 14-year-long career but only six of those have come for the Dutch. He was with the South African team since 2009 and played 13 ODIs for the Proteas in more than a year. He moved to the Netherlands in 2015 and played for them since then. Van der Merwe made his T20I debut for the Dutch in 2015 itself but got the ODI cap in 2019.
2. Colin Ackermann: Born in South Africa's George, Colin Ackermann also represents the Netherlands at the International circuit. He was one of the fascinating rising talents in the South African circuit. Ackermann was South Africa's vice-captain in the U-19 World Cup in 2010. But his senior call-up eluded him. Being a dual Dutch-South African national, he went to the Netherlands and played a part in Dosti Amsterdam's win in the Topklasse title in 2015. Ackermann made his T20I debut in 2019 before getting the ODI cap in 2021.
3. Ryan Klein: Netherlands' speedster Ryan Klein was born in Cape Town, South Africa. Klein has made his way into the ranks of the Dutch bowling attack. He has played 13 ODIs and 2 T20Is for the Orange Army. Klein made his First class and List A debut in South African domestic sides in 2019 before moving to the Netherlands in 2021. The pacer made his International debut in January 2022 in an ODI against Afghanistan.
