The Black Caps won't be the only Kiwis taking to the field at the upcoming ODI World Cup with Christchurch-born Logan van Beek punching a ticket to India too.
The Wellington allrounder made history with the Netherlands at this month's qualification tournament in Zimbabwe that included a record-breaking super over win against the West Indies.
After the Dutch tied the West Indies’ score of 374 with their reply, Van Beek was sent out to bat for the Netherlands’ over and he delivered a stunner, smashing 30 runs off the six balls.
Then, defending that impressive total, van Beek snared the game-winning wickets on back-to-back balls during the West Indies’ super over to end the game.
"I felt eerily calm throughout the whole thing,” he recalled to 1News.
“It wasn't until I was putting my bowling boots on for the super over I was like, ‘ok, 30 runs… I think that's good’?”
Good is an understatement. The total is the highest score by a player or team in an international super over.
And better yet, it gave the Netherlands their maiden win over the West Indies – another team van Beek has close ties to.
The 32-year-old is the grandson of Simpson Guillen – a dual-international wicketkeeper with the Windies and New Zealand in the 1950s.
"Even the West Indies boys afterwards were saying you have to play for us now," he joked.
Van Beek is indeed eligible for the West Indies but he’s also capable of playing for the Black Caps and that is still a thought on his mind.
“The good thing with the Netherlands being an associate team is that I'm still eligible to play for New Zealand so that door is always open.”
But it was the Dutch who came knocking first in 2012 and after being overlooked in Aotearoa for so long, he's now looking forward to playing at a World Cup in orange.
“I feel so lucky to have that but also feel the responsibility to make the most of it.
“In a couple of months’ time we're going to go against the best in the world. It's surreal but we’ve got to get used to it.”
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