Netherlands Lose Ackermann and Van der Merwe for T20 World Cup
The Netherlands will be without two experienced players, Colin Ackermann and Roelof van der Merwe, for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024. Both players have opted to prioritize their county commitments over national duty, leaving a void in the Dutch squad.
To fill the gap, the Netherlands have called up Daniel Doram, a left-arm spinner from the Leeward Islands, to their T20I squad for the first time. Doram, who holds a Dutch passport, has impressed in the West Indies Championship this season, taking 29 wickets at an average of 20.27.
The T20 World Cup clashes with the start of the Vitality Blast, England’s county T20 competition, forcing Associate players to choose between their primary employers and their national teams. Bas de Leede (Durham) and Fred Klaassen (Kent) have been released by their counties for the tournament, but Ackermann and van der Merwe have committed to Durham and Somerset respectively.
In van der Merwe’s absence, Doram will join Tim Pringle as one of two left-arm spinners in the Dutch squad. The 6′ 7″ tall Doram has never played a professional T20 match but was on standby when the Netherlands toured Nepal earlier this year.
“We have been able to select a well-balanced team, which we are confident will be able to perform in the conditions against the opposition we face in the US and West Indies,” said Netherlands head coach Ryan Cook. “All of the players have been training well and have been involved in the recent ProSeries with some exciting performances showing the growing depth and quality in Netherlands cricket.”
Scott Edwards will continue as captain, and there are several changes to the squad that finished fourth in their Super 12s group at the 2022 T20 World Cup. Shariz Ahmad, Tom Cooper, Stephen Myburgh, Ackermann, van der Merwe, Brandon Glover, and Timm van der Gugten are out, while Wesley Barresi, Aryan Dutt, Michael Levitt, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Vivian Kingma, and Doram have come in.
The Netherlands will prepare for the tournament with a tri-series against Scotland and Ireland, which starts on Saturday. They have been drawn in Group D of the T20 World Cup alongside Bangladesh, Nepal, South Africa, and Sri Lanka.
