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Sybrand Engelbrecht, who made his ODI debut for the Netherlands in their last match against New Zealand, will have a tingling sensation running through his veins when he takes the field against South Africa at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Tuesday, October 17.
This is because Engelbrecht was born in Johannesburg and spent more than 70% of his life in South Africa, also representing the country and facing India in the final of the U19 World Cup!
Engelbrecht was a part of the South African U19 World Cup squad in 2008, going up against the likes of Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja. However, he had to wait 15 years for his senior ODI debut, and it came for the Netherlands against the Kiwis. And for his second match, he will face the country of his birth, South Africa. But it was almost not meant to be.
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Growing up, Engelbrecht played for teams like Cape Cobras and Western Province in the South African domestic circuit. But after, playing in 54 first-class, 57 List A, and 45 T20 matches, he realised his lack of a future in this sport and took up the option of pursuing a career in finance, using his degree in finance and project management. He effectively retired from the game in December 2016.
During his active playing days, he pursued and completed a finance degree, followed by postgraduate studies in project management. At that juncture, the prospects of playing elite-level cricket appeared distant.
"I started working for a business called Fairtree in January 2017," he told ESPNCricinfo. "Two years into my corporate career, I did an MBA from Stellenbosch Business School [in the Western Cape]. So, it was a couple of years that I didn't really have much to do with cricket."
After moving to the Netherlands to head his country's expansion in the real estate sector, he rekindled his love for the game and eventually fell back in love with it, "It was really when the family and I moved to the Netherlands that I picked up the bat again because it was kind of the easiest way to integrate into the community and to make new friends. When I picked the bat again, it was kind of like, I missed it. And I fell in love with it all over again. It was good."
In the Netherlands, Engelbrecht represented the Voorburg Cricket Club, which ascended to to top of club cricket He played a pivotal role in three consecutive finals for the club. As Engelbrecht transitioned from playing cricket casually to a more competitive level, all while maintaining his regular job, head coach Ryan Cook closely monitored his advancements.
Having collaborated with Engelbrecht at Cobras a decade earlier, Cook was well aware of his potential. Eager to expand the Netherlands' player base, Engelbrecht's impressive batting displays saw them look into the feasibility of him playing for the Dutchmen with the ICC, who kindly obliged.
"We checked with the ICC, and they came back and said, 'you are eligible'. And it all happened so quickly. The week after that, I made my debut for Netherlands A and was integrated into the team. I also got the blessing from the business to give this a proper crack and try my best to get to the World Cup. The entire team at work has been amazing, they've taken all the workload off so that I can try and hit a cricket ball," he said, appreciating his employees for their support as well.
He is now in India, starting his international career in the ODI World Cup. Although he did not have much to do in the first game, he will hope to be a thorn on the side of his home nation, although the rains lashing down in Dharamsala might spoil his parade.
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