The Netherlands seemingly delivered the greatest bombshell of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, overcoming the unbeaten South Africans to enroll their most memorable success of the mission. Guarding a sum of 245 runs, in a 43-over-per-side challenge, the Dutch bowled out the Proteas for only 207 runs. From captain Scott Edwards to pacer Logan van Beek and spinner Roelof van der Merwe, there were many match-champs for the Netherlands in the challenge. One of them was seamer Paul van Meekeren, a person who conveyed food through Uber Eats in 2020 to earn a living wage.
Van Meekeren got two significant wickets of Aiden Markram and Marco Jansen to convey South Africa vital blows in the Netherlands’ offered to shield the absolute of 245 runs. While the outcome sent shockwaves across the cricketing universe, it’s the tale of players like Van Meekeren that makes Netherlands’ triumph significantly more aware.
In the most natural sounding way for him from a tweet in 2020, Van Meekeren uncovered that he was conveying nourishment for Uber Eats after the Men’s T20 World Cup was delayed in 2020 because of the Coronavirus pandemic.
“Ought to have been playing cricket today currently I’m conveying Uber eats to overcome the cold weather months!! Interesting how things change hahaha continue to grin individuals,” he had posted via web-based entertainment.
In a meeting, Van Meekeren conceded that he needed to take up a task at Uber Eats to earn enough to pay the bills as cricket had seen an endless break because of the pandemic.
“I had an adequate number of reserve funds yet they’re investment funds that I would rather not touch,” he told The Cricketerduring a talk quite a while back. “However, I’ve plunged so profound into my stores now that I needed to contemplate what I planned to do this colder time of year, since there won’t be any cricket. I really want some pay,” van Meekeren said.
“Toward the beginning, I was searching for a task to cover the basic things like petroleum, food, lease, telephone bills and those sorts of things,” he said. “However at that point, I likewise needed to be essentially as adaptable as could be expected assuming any cricket opportunity came up – whether with the Dutch group, establishment cricket or an opportunity to prepare with a region. That occurred and I’ve been exceptionally open about it to my companions: I was never embarrassed about the way that I planned to make it happen,” he added.
Van Meekeren, a determined person, both on and off the field, is the ideal illustration of the versatility that Dutch cricketers have displayed to come this far. Van Meekeren’s ascent from a section in his profession that he would have no desire to return to, could be an example of backbone and responsibility for some others like him.