Roelof van der Merwe
Encyclopedia
Roelof Erasmus van der Merwe (born 31 December 1984) is a South African cricket
er who plays domestically for Titans
and has represented South Africa in Limited overs cricket. He is currently signed by the Delhi Daredevils
for the Indian Premier League
. He is a right-hand middle order batsman and a slow left-arm orthodox bowler.
, van der Merwe made his List A debut in October 2006 for Northerns
against North West
. He was dismissed for a duck
and bowled his full allocation of nine overs conceding 29 runs. In December 2006 he made his first-class debut for Northerns against Limpopo
he bowled 12 wicketless overs but scored 36 runs and took three catches.
Van der Merwe had a successful 2007-08 season, moving into franchise cricket with the Titans. He made his debut for Titans in the SuperSport Series
in November 2007 against the Eagles. His first one-day appearance for them came in February 2008 against Zimbabwe he claimed four wickets conceding 24 runs (4/24). He finished the MTN Domestic Championship
as Titans leading wicket-taker with 27 wickets at an average
of 14.25. He also scored 269 runs at 29.88. In the Standard Bank Pro20 Series which followed van der Merwe was the third leading wicket-taker with 13 victims at 13.92, he also contributed 192 runs at 27.42. Titans won both 50 over and 20 over competitions and for van der Merwe's part in it he was awarded Player of the Year, MTN Domestic Championship Player of the Year, Standard Bank Pro20 Series Player of the Year and the Newcomer of the Year at the team's end of season award. On a national level he was selected Domestic Newcomer of the Year at the SA Cricket Awards.
Titans retained the MTN Domestic Championship in 2008/09 with van der Merwe again being instrumental to the success, he took 30 wickets at 13.96, 14 more than any other bowler.
before he was released mid season after the club realised he wasn't eligible for amateur status having played first-class cricket the previous winter. He has also represented Stretford, in 2006 he scored a league record 1200 runs at 80 as well as taking 53 wickets at 11.26.
In August 2008 van der Merwe was selected for the South Africa Academy to play against their Bangladesh equivalents, in the second of a five match series he scored 79 from 70 balls and took 6/52.
Van der Merwe played in the 2008 Hong Kong International Cricket Sixes
, he was South Africa's leading runscorer and wicket-taker.
s against Australia in March 2009. In the second of these he made his full debut, top scoring with 48 from 30 balls an innings that included four sixes, and taking a maiden international wicket of David Hussey
he was awarded man of the match
. After this performance he was added to the squad for the One Day International series as cover for Jacques Kallis
, van der Merwe made his ODI debut in the second match of the series at SuperSport Park, he bowled five wicketless overs and wasn't required to bat. He had a more prominent role in his second ODI, he scored his maiden ODI runs with a six and took 3/37 from his allotted ten overs. In the final two matches he claimed five more wickets to finish his maiden ODI series with eight at 18.62.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who plays domestically for Titans
Titans cricket team
The Nashua Titans is the name used by the combined Easterns and Northerns first class cricket teams in South Africa. The home venues of the Titans are at SuperSport Park, Centurion and Willowmoore Park, Benoni...
and has represented South Africa in Limited overs cricket. He is currently signed by the Delhi Daredevils
Delhi Daredevils
Delhi Daredevils is the Delhi franchise for the Indian Premier League in cricket. The franchise is owned by the GMR Group.-Franchise history:...
for the Indian Premier League
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League is a professional league for Twenty20 cricket competition in India. It was initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered in Mumbai, and is supervised by BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, who serves as the league's Chairman and Commissioner...
. He is a right-hand middle order batsman and a slow left-arm orthodox bowler.
Domestic career
Born in JohannesburgJohannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, van der Merwe made his List A debut in October 2006 for Northerns
Northerns cricket team
Northerns cricket team has played first-class cricket in South Africa since December 1937....
against North West
North West cricket team
North West cricket team plays first-class cricket in South Africa.For the purposes of the SuperSport Series, North West has merged with Gauteng North West cricket team (formerly Western Transvaal cricket team) plays first-class cricket in South Africa.For the purposes of the SuperSport Series,...
. He was dismissed for a duck
Duck (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...
and bowled his full allocation of nine overs conceding 29 runs. In December 2006 he made his first-class debut for Northerns against Limpopo
Limpopo cricket team
Limpopo cricket team is a South African first class cricket team based in the province of Limpopo. It forms part of the Nashua Titans franchise and is one of five South African associate teams...
he bowled 12 wicketless overs but scored 36 runs and took three catches.
Van der Merwe had a successful 2007-08 season, moving into franchise cricket with the Titans. He made his debut for Titans in the SuperSport Series
SuperSport Series
The SuperSport Series is the main domestic first class cricket competition in South Africa, first contested in 1889-90. From 1990-91 it became known as the Castle Cup, and from 1996-97 by its current title...
in November 2007 against the Eagles. His first one-day appearance for them came in February 2008 against Zimbabwe he claimed four wickets conceding 24 runs (4/24). He finished the MTN Domestic Championship
MTN Domestic Championship
The 1 Day Cup is the premier domestic one-day cricket competition of South Africa, its matches having List A status...
as Titans leading wicket-taker with 27 wickets at an average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
of 14.25. He also scored 269 runs at 29.88. In the Standard Bank Pro20 Series which followed van der Merwe was the third leading wicket-taker with 13 victims at 13.92, he also contributed 192 runs at 27.42. Titans won both 50 over and 20 over competitions and for van der Merwe's part in it he was awarded Player of the Year, MTN Domestic Championship Player of the Year, Standard Bank Pro20 Series Player of the Year and the Newcomer of the Year at the team's end of season award. On a national level he was selected Domestic Newcomer of the Year at the SA Cricket Awards.
Titans retained the MTN Domestic Championship in 2008/09 with van der Merwe again being instrumental to the success, he took 30 wickets at 13.96, 14 more than any other bowler.
Club cricket
In 2007 van der Merwe played for Monton & Weaste in the Central Lancashire LeagueCentral Lancashire Cricket League
The Central Lancashire League is a fifteen team cricket league, traditionally based in Lancashire, England. It is now based around Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire. The league runs competitions at First Team, Second Team, Third Team, Under 18, Under 15, Under 13 and Under 11 levels.The...
before he was released mid season after the club realised he wasn't eligible for amateur status having played first-class cricket the previous winter. He has also represented Stretford, in 2006 he scored a league record 1200 runs at 80 as well as taking 53 wickets at 11.26.
International career
Van der Merwe was selected in the South Africa team for the 2004 U-19 Cricket World Cup, he played five matches, scoring 129 runs and taking 3 wickets. Following the tournament it was over two years before he made his first-class debut and van der Merwe has admitted he "didn't take things too seriously" and was "partying all the time".In August 2008 van der Merwe was selected for the South Africa Academy to play against their Bangladesh equivalents, in the second of a five match series he scored 79 from 70 balls and took 6/52.
Van der Merwe played in the 2008 Hong Kong International Cricket Sixes
Hong Kong International Cricket Sixes
The Hong Kong Cricket Sixes is an annual 10-team international cricket tournament held at the Kowloon Cricket Club and fully sanctioned by the International Cricket Council. The tournament is made for television, with rules and a venue that encourage aggressive batting and high scoring...
, he was South Africa's leading runscorer and wicket-taker.
Full honours
Van der Merwe was selected in the South Africa Twenty20 squad for their two Twenty20 InternationalTwenty20 International
A Twenty20 International is a form of cricket which is played over 20 overs per side between two national cricket teams. The game is played under the rules of Twenty20 cricket...
s against Australia in March 2009. In the second of these he made his full debut, top scoring with 48 from 30 balls an innings that included four sixes, and taking a maiden international wicket of David Hussey
David Hussey
David John Hussey is an Australian cricketer. Hussey is a right-handed batsman and can also bowl right-arm offbreaks. He is the younger brother of Australian Test cricketer Michael Hussey.-Australian domestic career:...
he was awarded man of the match
Man of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...
. After this performance he was added to the squad for the One Day International series as cover for Jacques Kallis
Jacques Kallis
Jacques Henry Kallis is a South African cricketer. As an all-rounder he is a formidable right-handed batsman and fast-medium swingbowler. He is one of the greatest all-rounders of all time, being the only cricketer in the history of the game to hold more than 12,000 runs and 250 wickets in both...
, van der Merwe made his ODI debut in the second match of the series at SuperSport Park, he bowled five wicketless overs and wasn't required to bat. He had a more prominent role in his second ODI, he scored his maiden ODI runs with a six and took 3/37 from his allotted ten overs. In the final two matches he claimed five more wickets to finish his maiden ODI series with eight at 18.62.