The Netherlands defeated South Africa by 38 runs in a rain-shortened match, pulling off one of the greatest shocks in the history of ODI World Cups. The Dutchmen bowled the Proteas out for 207, holding on to their 245-run total to earn their first victory of the tournament. at the match at Dharamsala against the leaders South Africa, the Dutchmen demonstrated exceptional teamwork. With an undefeated innings of 78 runs off 69 deliveries, including 10 boundaries and a six, captain Scott Edwards spearheaded the attack. Later, the bowler took center stage and forced the Proteas to the ground.
Many heroes rose to the occasion in the Netherlands’ victory, but the tale of medium-pacer Paul van Merkeen made the victory even sweeter. Since the Dutch defeated the team captained by Temba Bavuma, his post from 2020 has gone viral online. In order to make ends meet when the T20 World Cup was postponed three years ago due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Van Meekeren supplied meals via Uber Eats.
The Dutch bowler responded to an ESPN Cricinfo social media post by saying that he would have been playing cricket for his nation but that due to the T20 World Cup’s postponement, he had to deliver meals.
Had I not been delivering Uber Eats to survive through the winter, I would have been playing cricket today. Keep happy, folks, it’s funny how things change,” wrote Van Meekeren in November 2020.
The Dutch pacer said in an old interview with The Cricketer that he had to work at Uber Eats to make ends meet since cricket had been put on indefinite hold due to the epidemic.
“I have sufficient funds, but I don’t want to use them. But now that I’ve depleted my resources somewhat, I had to consider what I would do this winter because there won’t be any cricket. Van Meekeren was cited as adding, “I need some money.
“At first, I was simply searching for a job to pay the basic expenses like gas, food, rent, phone bills, and things of that kind. I also wanted to be as adaptable as I could be in case any cricket opportunities arose, whether they were the Dutch team, franchise cricket, or a chance to train with a county. That’s what really occurred, and I’ve been extremely honest about it with my friends: I never felt embarrassed to say I was going to do it.
The cricketer from the Netherlands endured multiple setbacks when his contract with Somerset was terminated due to a back issue that was incorrectly diagnosed, preventing him from representing the county during the last year of his contract.
However, it was during the 2023 ICC Men’s World Cup match against South Africa that he suddenly became a household name. Van Meekeren contributed to his team’s historic victory by taking two significant wickets, those of Aiden Markram and Marco Jansen.
