Colin Ackermann

Instead his path led to Europe. In 2015 he was part of the Dosti Amsterdam team that won the Topklasse title in the Netherlands, and Leicestershire signed him before the 2017 season. He spent six years at the county, averaging above 40 in first-class matches, and his highest score was an unbeaten 277 against Sussex in 2022. His modest off-spin also earned him a world record in the 2019 T20 Blast, when he took 7-18 against the Birmingham Bears. He captained Leicestershire from 2020 and left for Durham after the 2022 season, where his colleagues include Ryan Campbell, formerly the Netherlands coach, and his Dutch team-mates Brandon Glover and de Leede.

Ackermann first played for the Netherlands against Ireland in a five-team warm-up event in Oman, held before the 2019 T20 World Cup Qualifier. At the Qualifier in the UAE he helped the Dutch take the title, scoring 163 runs at an average above 40 and conceding less than a run per ball with his off-spin.

County duties have sometimes kept him away from the Netherlands during the northern summer, but when available he is a regular in the top order in both formats and is valued as a calm presence in the field. He served as vice-captain to Pieter Seelaar at the 2021 T20 World Cup. A month later he made his ODI debut against South Africa, the country of his birth, in the first game of a Super League tour disrupted by covid. He appeared in only seven of the Netherlands' 26 Super League matches, with 81 against Afghanistan away from home his best effort so far.

He has featured more often in T20 cricket. After missing the 2022 T20 Qualifiers he came back for the 2022 T20 World Cup, where his unbeaten 41 was the top score in a celebrated win over South Africa that gave the Netherlands direct entry to the 2024 tournament.