The approach of Dirk Nannes to the crease is a joy to watch. Clutching the ball in his right hand as his bounding run eats the metres to the crease, his approach speaks of the joy and pleasure he takes in the actions that ensue. At the very last minute the ball is transferred to his left hand and he leaps into the air. His action is smooth, unfussy and a pleasure to watch. He flings his right hand into the air as he begins to leap, pulling his body into a side-on position. As his feet thump down into the ground his right arm pulls down and at the same time his left arm whips through the air, forcing his body straight and sending the ball fizzing – sometimes audibly – towards the waiting batsman. Action completed he continues to jog, eyes never leaving the ball, eagerly watching the path that he has forged for it. Whether the result of the ball is a wicket or a six, he always strolls back to his mark with a broad grin on his face.
It is the expression of a man who enjoys his job, but doesn’t take it too seriously, which is unsurprising considering the unorthodox route he took to reach the gold and green of Australia. For many years Dirk Nannes was a social cricketer, content to play a couple of games at the beginning of the season and a few at the end. Part of that was his job, which wouldn’t allow him to play more. Nannes was a professional skier who competed in several world cup ski events for Australia and who narrowly missed out on selection for the Winter Olympics squad. Soon after his near miss he started to take cricket seriously and skiing’s loss was crickets gain.
He made his debut for his state, Victoria, at the age of twenty-nine, thirteen years older than Sachin Tendulkar was when he made his international debut. Despite his late start Nannes impressed from his first match with his pace and ability to swing the ball late, though it would be another two years before an impressive season statistics wise. Left arm bowlers who are genuinely quick, consistently bowling at above 140 Kph, are a rarity in any form of cricket, so he was quickly picked up as an overseas player at Middlesex, where he led their attack admirably and helped his team to the Domestic Twenty20 cup, his second Twenty20 title in the year after he was instrumental in helping Victoria to victory in the Australian domestic competition. Delhi Daredevils, one of the teams in the Indian Premier League, was quick to sign him and he was again successful. Nannes was quickly making a name for himself as one of the premier limited overs bowlers in the world.
In fact, his reputation was so strong that it was surprise when Australia didn’t pick him for the World Twenty20 in 2009. At that point he was thought to be the best limited overs paceman in the world. After being passed over for an Australian squad for the second time, Nannes gave up on playing for Australia and instead made use of his Dutch passport to turn out for the Netherlands in the World Twenty 20. Once again he made an impression, so much so that Australia called him up into the national squad as part of the wholesale changes made after their dismal showing at the event. Dirk’s quick change of allegiance was made possible by the Netherlands status as an Associate member of the ICC, which meant that he was able to play for Australia straight away rather than waiting the mandatory four years. He never looked back.
Nannes has established himself as the leading Twenty20 paceman in the international arena, picking up 28 wickets in his 17 Twenty20 matches to date, averaging only thirteen balls between wickets. During the 2010 edition of the World Twenty20, an event that Australia wisely picked him for, he was the leading wicket taker, taking fourteen wickets, each of which cost an average of only thirteen runs. If there was a world Twenty20 XI, Dirk Nannes would be the first name on the list.
Despite all his admirable achievements, it is not the statistics that make Dirk Nannes such a likeable player. Instead it is his idiosyncrasies. He was an international skier. He can speak Japanese. He studied Saxophone at university. He is, in his own words “An accidental cricketer.” It is the bounding sprint into the crease. Most of all, it is the broad grin on his face after every ball. It is the joy he takes in what he does.
It is the expression of a man who enjoys his job, but doesn’t take it too seriously, which is unsurprising considering the unorthodox route he took to reach the gold and green of Australia. For many years Dirk Nannes was a social cricketer, content to play a couple of games at the beginning of the season and a few at the end. Part of that was his job, which wouldn’t allow him to play more. Nannes was a professional skier who competed in several world cup ski events for Australia and who narrowly missed out on selection for the Winter Olympics squad. Soon after his near miss he started to take cricket seriously and skiing’s loss was crickets gain.
He made his debut for his state, Victoria, at the age of twenty-nine, thirteen years older than Sachin Tendulkar was when he made his international debut. Despite his late start Nannes impressed from his first match with his pace and ability to swing the ball late, though it would be another two years before an impressive season statistics wise. Left arm bowlers who are genuinely quick, consistently bowling at above 140 Kph, are a rarity in any form of cricket, so he was quickly picked up as an overseas player at Middlesex, where he led their attack admirably and helped his team to the Domestic Twenty20 cup, his second Twenty20 title in the year after he was instrumental in helping Victoria to victory in the Australian domestic competition. Delhi Daredevils, one of the teams in the Indian Premier League, was quick to sign him and he was again successful. Nannes was quickly making a name for himself as one of the premier limited overs bowlers in the world.
In fact, his reputation was so strong that it was surprise when Australia didn’t pick him for the World Twenty20 in 2009. At that point he was thought to be the best limited overs paceman in the world. After being passed over for an Australian squad for the second time, Nannes gave up on playing for Australia and instead made use of his Dutch passport to turn out for the Netherlands in the World Twenty 20. Once again he made an impression, so much so that Australia called him up into the national squad as part of the wholesale changes made after their dismal showing at the event. Dirk’s quick change of allegiance was made possible by the Netherlands status as an Associate member of the ICC, which meant that he was able to play for Australia straight away rather than waiting the mandatory four years. He never looked back.
Nannes has established himself as the leading Twenty20 paceman in the international arena, picking up 28 wickets in his 17 Twenty20 matches to date, averaging only thirteen balls between wickets. During the 2010 edition of the World Twenty20, an event that Australia wisely picked him for, he was the leading wicket taker, taking fourteen wickets, each of which cost an average of only thirteen runs. If there was a world Twenty20 XI, Dirk Nannes would be the first name on the list.
Despite all his admirable achievements, it is not the statistics that make Dirk Nannes such a likeable player. Instead it is his idiosyncrasies. He was an international skier. He can speak Japanese. He studied Saxophone at university. He is, in his own words “An accidental cricketer.” It is the bounding sprint into the crease. Most of all, it is the broad grin on his face after every ball. It is the joy he takes in what he does.
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