Sharjah: Three-time ICC Associate Player of the Year Ryan ten Doeschate knows he is at the near end of his international career but with the comforting thought of assured growth of the sport in future.
Considered one of the finest players in the non-Test playing world of cricket, ten Doeschate won the coveted ICC award on a record three occasions in 2008, 2010 and 2011 while also holding the highest batting average in One-day cricket by a batsman with more than 20 innings.
On Saturday, the 38-year-old Dutchman proved his class once again with a flawless, unbeaten 78 as his Balkh Legends beat the Kabul Zwanan convincingly by eight wickets in the inaugural Afghanistan Premier League (APL).
Though born and raised in South Africa, ten Doeschate qualified to play for Holland under the Bosman ruling due to his European roots. He made his debut for Holland at the 2005 ICC Trophy, before representing his adopted country in the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 and the 2011 ICC World Cup where he left his mark becoming the first associate player to score a century against a full ICC Member nation.
“Yes I used to be among the best of the associate players at one time, but now there are so many other good players from associate nations. It’s good to see these guys getting the recognition, more so through such competitions [like the APL],” ten Doeschate told media after Saturday’s match.
“The good thing is that there are so many coming through and it would be nice to see more of these perform and play at the highest levels, including the IPL [Indian Premier League],” he added.
Drafted into the Sussex squad since 2003, ten Doeschate has played and performed in some of the top professional leagues including the IPL and Australia’s KFC Twenty20 Big Bash. And though nearing the end of the road at the top level, the South African-born still has a lot to offer.
“My time is up certainly in the international cricket scene. I’ve had some good times with the Dutch team, but I haven’t played very much lately with them,” he recollected.
“I think my role now is to just chip in when I can and see that the team benefits. For the experience I have and the various conditions that I’ve played in I can come in handy with any team as a senior player,” he added.
