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NetherlandsWicketkeeper batter
Wesley Barresi
- Age
- 42y 179d
- Bats
- Right-hand
- Bowls
- Right-arm off break
- From
- Johannesburg
- Age
- 42y 179d
- Bats
- Right-hand
- Bowls
- Right-arm off break
- From
- Johannesburg
Born in Johannesburg, Barresi learned his cricket in the Easterns age-group system and went on to play seven senior matches for Easterns in South African domestic cricket. A summer contract with Hilversum CC brought him to the Netherlands in 2005, at a time when he did not even know the country fielded a national side. He soon joined VRA in the top division and had collected two Topklasse titles by the time the Dutch selectors picked him in 2009.
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His first senior appearance for the Netherlands came against Canada in the Intercontinental Cup in 2009, and his ODI bow followed a year later at World Cricket League Division 1. Shortly afterwards he hit an unbeaten 64 against Bangladesh at Titwood, guiding the Dutch to their first official ODI win over a Full Member. Picked initially as a batter, he quickly took on the wicketkeeping duties and kept in all formats for much of his career, becoming the first Netherlands player to exceed 150 dismissals in recognised cricket. He settled into the top three, opening at the 2011 World Cup and scoring his first ODI hundred from number three against Kenya at the 2014 World Cup Qualifier, though the Dutch lost that game. After the side lost ODI status and dropped to WCL Division 2, he was central to the rebuild, and his 120 against Namibia, his second List A century for the Netherlands, helped clinch the WCL Championship and a place in the ODI Super League.
In T20 cricket he averaged 85 at the qualifier in the UAE ahead of the 2014 World T20. At the main event he hit the six that completed a chase of 189 in under 14 overs against Ireland, sending the Dutch into the second stage, and he was top scorer in a famous victory over England.
Left out for the 2019 T20 Global Qualifier, he announced his retirement in early 2021 and later disclosed he had been dealing with mental health difficulties. He came back to ODI cricket in 2022 with a modest showing against Pakistan, then caught the eye at the 2023 World Cup Qualifier with 52 against Sri Lanka and 97 off 65 balls against Oman. At 39 he was the most experienced member of the Netherlands squad for the 2023 World Cup and its only remaining link to the 2011 World Cup team.
