Rassie van der Dussen

Rassie van der Dussen is one of those few players who managed to grab his opportunity with both hands at the highest level. Having plied his trade in cricket in countries like South Africa, England, Netherlands, Canada, and Ireland, Van der Dussen finally returned to South Africa after getting noticed by the national selectors. He was fast-tracked into the national side and made his international debut in a T20I against Zimbabwe in October 2018. He scored a half-century on his T20I debut and followed it up with a 92 against Pakistan in his ODI debut. 

On the back of some consistent showing in the domestic circuit, Dussen has included in South Africa A squad for the tour of India early in 2018. He made an immediate impact in subcontinent conditions and showed his wide array of shots and adaptability at the top of the order or in the middle. He was selected in the national squad for the Test series against India in late 2019. 

Dussen is naturally an attacking batsman and prefers the shorter formats but given his sense of adaptability, he has also made a name for himself in the longest format. Having made his first-class debut way back in 2008, it took quite a time for Van der Dussen to establish himself at the highest level. 

He was the top scorer in South Africa’s first-class domestic competition in the 2017-18 season and bagged a contract with St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the CPL 2018. He also won the inaugural Global T20 Canada 2018 with the Vancouver Knights. Dussen topped the batting charts in the Mzansi Super League with 469 runs under his belt. 

Van der Dussen had a sensational time with the bat in the T20I series against England post the COVID-19 break as his team was whitewashed 3-0. Van der Dussen scored a brilliant half-century in the opening encounter and followed it up with 32 balls 74 in the final encounter. The 31-year-old doesn’t have a long career in front of him but he should make full use of the chances he gets in the coming few years.