Paul van Meekeren, a fast bowler for the Netherlands, once had financial difficulty during his country’s bitterly cold winters. The T20 World Cup was scheduled to take place in Australia in 2020, however the event had to be postponed by two years because to the deadly Covid-19 outbreak. The huge event on Australian territory would have provided some financial security for the then-27-year-old van Meekeren. Instead, he had to put in the gruelling hours by working as an Uber Eats delivery guy.
He could not have been blamed for beginning to believe that his career had taken a wrong turn and that he needed to hustle through life in other ways. “Cricket should have been played today. To survive the cold, I’m now delivering Uber Eats! Keep smiling, people. It’s funny how things change,” remarked van Meekeren.
Paul van Meekeren in Cricket
Although he has participated in a significant amount of international T20 and T10 cricket, he was not a well-known player. But on Tuesday, October 18, that seems to have somewhat altered. At the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamsala, Van Meekeren was a member of the historic Netherlands side that defeated South Africa by 38 runs.
Despite the fact that Scott Edwards received the Player of the Match award, van Meekeren’s achievements cannot in any way be discounted. The Amsterdam-based speedster concluded with outstanding stats of 9-0-40-2 after landing some significant hits.
NED vs. SA CWC 2023
When van Meekeren broke through Aiden Markram’s defence to knock the stumps down, it sounded so good for him! Unimaginable! For the Proteas and Markram, it was like to the sound of their own death knell, but for van Meekeren and the Dutch, it was music to their ears. It was a key wicket for the Netherlands as South Africa was reduced to 42 for three while attempting to chase a difficult goal of 246 in a 43-over match that was postponed due to rain.
Van Meekeren bamboozled Marco Jansen with a booming delivery in the 25th over. Jansen, who is a dangerous batsman, was rendered helpless as his stumps wandered off. The Netherlands had already begun to smell at that point. South Africa was facing certain doom.
Even the optimists would have hesitated before the game to give Edwards’ team a chance against the Proteas. They were pumped up after crushing Sri Lanka and Australia.
In their matchup with the Proteas, Van Meekeren and the Netherlands frequently found themselves under siege, as was initially expected. But it has to do with how they had responded previously. Prior to their next encounter at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, Netherlands will be licking their lips because Sri Lanka is not in the greatest of forms.
The Netherlands are not here to fill seats; they are here to compete, battle, and exhaust their rivals. Very impactful. When it comes to van Meekeren, the pacer has created a reputation for himself by doing everything from bringing meals to doorsteps to giving opposing batters nightmares.
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