Northamptonshire batter Stuart van der Merwe saw persistence pay off as he marked his One-Day Cup debut with 59 off 60 balls against Sussex.<\/p>\n
The 20-year-old South African was given a contract by the Steelbacks after also having trials with a number of other clubs, including Surrey and Leicestershire.<\/p>\n
He was dropped off the first ball he faced but went on to hit a six and six fours in their 295-8 at Wantage Road, although Sussex won the game by seven wickets.<\/p>\n
“It was a day that I’ve always been looking forward to and I’m really chuffed to just make my debut,” Van der Merwe told BBC Radio Northampton.<\/p>\n
“It’s definitely something I’ve been dreaming about my whole life. And, yeah, it’s not the easiest thing trialling around. You need a bit of luck, right time, right place definitely.”<\/p>\n
Van der Merwe – who also bowled six overs for figures of 0-34 – arrived in the UK in 2021 to attend boarding school before progressing to Leeds University, where he is still a student.<\/p>\n
He hit two centuries in second XI games for Surrey but it was an innings of 95 against them for Northants at Dunstable in May that helped him finally earn a one-month county deal.<\/p>\n
“It was great to have Broady [Justin Broad] present my cap. I know him from back home, obviously a South African mate. He’s definitely someone that I look up to a lot, especially the way he’s gone about it [getting into county cricket], not the easiest way, but yeah, he’s got to where he wants to be,” he said.<\/p>\n
“This was the biggest crowd I’ve ever played in front of. It was definitely very special to play in front of a crowd like that, especially when they’re behind you too. You can’t ask for more.”<\/p>\n