Australia and Netherlands player Dirk Nannes happened upon cricket quite late in life. He was always talented at it but his first love was skiing. That meant he would play a few domestic games at the start of the season and maybe a few more towards its back end, but there was no consistency as he travelled the world in between, skiing in major tournaments.
When he did start to take cricket seriously, he was immediately noticeable. Genuinely quick, the left-arm seamer also swung the ball but he never seemed to quite turn the heads of Australia. After he turned out for the Netherlands in the World T20 in 2009, Australia did take a look at him. By 2014, he was one of the best T20 bowlers in international cricket and dominated the World T20 in 2010, taking 14 wickets at 13.07 to lead all wicket-takers in the tournament.
In 2010, looking to ensure longevity in a career that started late, Nannes quit the longer formats of the game, though he impressed in those.
His decision to become a limited-overs specialist went well. His T20 career lasted 215 games in which he took 257 wickets at an average of 22.51.
Career Statistics (2007-2015)
Full name: Dirk Peter Nannes
Born: May 16, 1976, Mount Waverley, Melbourne, Victoria (44)
Major teams: Australia, Netherlands, Australian Cricketers Association Masters, Canterbury, Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Daredevils, Lions, Melbourne Renegades, Middlesex, Mountaineers, Otago, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Somerset, Somerset 2nd XI, Surrey, Sydney Thunder, Sylhet Royals, Victoria
Playing role: Bowler
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Left-arm fast
T20I Career
Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10w
17 16 366 459 28 4/18 4/18 16.39 7.52 13.0 1 0 0
T20 Career
Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10w
215 211 4624 5720 257 5/31 5/31 22.25 7.42 17.9 7 2 0
Career Highlights
- Took 28 T20I wickets in 17 matches at 16.39
- Took 15 T20 WC wickets in 9 matches at 15.93
- 1 T20I 4-wicket haul
- Most T20I wickets in the calendar year 2010 (14)
- 57 T20 wickets captured at 22.25