Rumours which had been circulating for weeks were finally confirmed on Tuesday with the announcement that 23-year-old rising Dutch star Bas de Leede has signed for English county side Durham.
De Leede, who at the age of 18 made an unbeaten half-century on his first-class debut for the Netherlands, in an Intercontinental Cup match against Namibia in Dubai in November 2017, has since played 23 ODIs and 31 T20Is for the Dutch side, adding six more half-centuries across the two formats and claiming 36 wickets.
He impressed many at the World T20 tournament in Australia last year, and was a key member of the Dutch attack in the nine Super League matches during last season’s home ‘Summer of Cricket’.
He also stood out in the Netherlands’ two T20Is against New Zealand last August, making 66 and 53 not out in a losing cause.
It comes as no surprise that Durham have won out in a contest to acquire De Leede, since the county’s new coach, former Dutch national coach Ryan Campbell, is known to have long seen him as one of the Netherlands’ finest prospects.
He will not only be reunited with Campbell and assistant coach James Hilditch at the Riverside, but also with fellow paceman Brandon Glover, who recently transferred there from Northamptonshire.
The good news for Dutch fans is that De Leede will be available for the 50-over World Cup qualifier in Namibia in June and July, where the men’s side will face a stiff competition, not only for World Cup qualification but also to maintain, and if possible to improve, their current 15th place in the ODI rankings.
It is less good, though hardly surprising, news for his Dutch club Voorburg, who narrowly missed out on last year’s Topklasse title under his captaincy.
He has been a key member of the side since returning from a season with the MCC Young Cricketers in 2019, making 1466 runs at 43.11 and taking 53 wickets at 16.89.
There is, however, some compensation for the Westvliet club in the transfer of De Leede’s Dutch team-mate Ryan Klein, who is joining from HBS Craeyenhout.
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