Teja Nidamanuru

His move to Europe began with a player-coach role at Kampong Utrecht, a club in the Dutch second division. Early in 2019, as he left New Zealand, he featured on the television programme House Hunters International while searching for a home in the Netherlands. What persuaded him to stay was work outside the game: he took a position as a product manager with Stratex, a commercial software firm, and managed to balance that job with his cricket.

On the domestic scene he stepped up to the top division with Punjab Rotterdam, where he played with Stephan Myburgh, who was also a colleague at Stratex, before later joining VRA Amsterdam. Steady run-scoring, backed up by useful part-time off-spin, brought him to the notice of national coach Ryan Campbell. The Dutch were struggling to field a full-strength side during their Super League campaign, so once Nidamanuru became eligible through residency in 2022 he was drafted into the squad with little delay.

He made an immediate impression, finishing unbeaten on 58 against the West Indies on debut, the highest score of the innings for his side. That performance secured him a lengthy run in the team, and he used it to cement his place. After a quieter spell he reached three figures in an ODI for the first time, making 110 not out against Zimbabwe during the ODI Super League.