5 most wholesome comeback stories in cricket ft. Paul van Meekeren
Paul van Meekeren picked up the important wickets of Aiden Markram and Marco Jansen as his side registered a famous victory against South Africa in the 2023 World Cup.
No sooner did the Dutch cause an upset by beating the Proteas than an old tweet by Paul van Meekeren started resurfacing on the internet.
The 2020 T20 World Cup had been postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As Paul van Meekeren had to earn his wages some other way, he started working as a delivery man for Uber Eats.
Three years later, he was part of the team that triumphed over the previously unbeaten South Africa in the 2023 World Cup. Such wholesome stories in cricket are what make the sport even more special.
Let's look at the five most wholesome comeback stories in cricket.
#1 Paul van Meekeren
Paul van Meekeren's comeback has been the latest in an array of inspiring stories. He went from delivering food in Netherlands to delivering with the ball for Netherlands in the World Cup.
He clean-bowled Markram, who has been one of South Africa's better batters in white-ball cricket in recent times. Marco Jansen was looking solid in the middle, but he also perished at the hands of Paul van Meekeren.
#2 Nathan Lyon
Nathan Lyon used to work as a member of the ground staff at the Adelaide Oval in 2010, aged 23. He was casually bowling one day when the South Australian Redbacks' coach, Darren Berry, was impressed by Lyon and asked him to start training professionally.
The rest, as they say, was history. Lyon earned his maiden call-up to the Australian national team in 2011. He has gone on to become the country's best off-spinner of all time, having picked up 496 Test wickets.
#3 Yashasvi Jaiswal
Yashasvi Jaiswal's name has been floating around the Mumbai cricket scene for around half a decade now. However, it was during the 2023 IPL season that he earned widespread recognition, courtesy of his 625 runs in 14 matches.
The 21-year-old moved to Mumbai at the age of 10. He sold pani puri to make ends meet and lived in a tent with the groundsmen at the maidan for three years before his talent was spotted.
#4 Makhaya Ntini
Makhaya Ntini worked as a cowherd before starting his cricketing career. He didn't have enough money to afford shoes and bowled barefoot when he was first spotted by a Border Cricket Board development officer, aged 15.
He was given his first pair of shoes for a junior cricket festival. A couple of years later, he was selected for the South African U-19 squad. The Mdingi Express became the first South African black cricketer and went on to pick up 390 Test and 266 ODI wickets for his nation.
#5 Rohit Sharma
Unlike the other cricketers on this list, Rohit Sharma didn't have many financial struggles during the early days of his career. He started his playing days as an off-spinner before turning into a middle-order batter who can bowl a bit.
He was dropped before the 2011 World Cup, which India went on to win. This was the lowest point of his fledgling career, but he made a fantastic comeback by becoming one of the best openers in white-ball cricket history. The Indian skipper also has a host of World Cup records under his belt, despite missing the 2011 edition.