3. Bas de Leede, Netherlands – Age: 22
Marked for bigger and better things ever since his senior debut at the age of 18, Bas de Leede has finally managed to fulfil those lofty promises over the course of the last six months. The 22-year old’s career has come on leaps and bounds with significant improvements shown in both the batting and bowling departments to go alongside his exceptional fielding skills.
In a recent home T20I series against New Zealand, Bas scored successive half-centuries, bookended by classy innings of 56 and 89 runs in ODI Super League clashes with England and Pakistan. The Dutchman also complemented his excellent batting returns with the ball in hand, regularly chipping in with tidy overs and occasional wickets. These performances have made Bas an indispensable part of the Netherlands squad as a middle order batter and part-time medium pace bowler in both white ball formats. That is seriously impressive for someone who was a promising but minor player on the fringes of the Dutch first team, a mere 12 months ago.
While the Dutch failed to win any of the above games, they came close several times despite missing several first-choice players due to county commitments. And with the big names returning for the 2022 T20 World Cup, we can expect a better showing by the Dutch this time around on the relatively pacer friendly wickets of Australia.
Fun Fact: Bas hails from Dutch cricketing royalty; the de Leede family has played a prominent part in the Netherlands’ cricket scene for many decades. Bas’ father Tim played in three ODI Cricket World Cups and is most celebrated for taking the prized scalp of Sachin Tendulkar at the 2007 edition. Bas’ grandfather Frans was also a keen cricketer and umpire; while his cousin Babette currently represents the Netherlands women’s team.
