It was just another normal day. But something caught the eye in the evening as you scrolled through various news outlets. Sybrand Engelbrecht, the former South African cricketer, had made it to the Netherlands squad for the 2023 World Cup. Engelbrecht, a right-hand batter, had virtually disappeared from the cricket scene after leading the Western Province first-class side some seven years ago. The inquisitive mind started wondering where he had been all these years.
Ultimately, when you met the cricketer himself at a function, all those lingering doubts were cleared. “After 2016, I did my MBA and started working in a South African asset management company called Fairtree,” he told RevSportz. “I have been working for the same group for seven-odd years. I have taken various roles like Investment Specialist and a commercial director of a Hotel Management company.
“I have been working full-time. In 2021, I moved over to the Netherlands along with my wife and son and we have been living there ever since. When we moved over to the Netherlands, I started to play again as I missed the game, I fell in love with the game once again. Cookie (Ryan Cook, the coach) and I had discussions, once the eligibility was cleared by the ICC, and here we are.”
So, how did Engelbrecht get back into the groove of playing cricket again? He pointed out that he had been playing competitive matches for the Netherlands A side. He also showered praise on the coach-captain duo of Scott Edwards and Cook for their management skills, which helped the side to build intangible assets – cohesion and team bonding. And that has been the essence of Netherlands’ fine effort through the course of the World Cup, where they have won a couple of games.
“It has been fantastic,” said Engelbrecht. “The team has been warm and welcoming and made me feel comfortable. I have slotted in, things as usual. The positive thing is I have been engaging and working with all of these players over the last three years. So, it is not as if I’m a complete new entity to a lot of the players. Scottie and Cookie have done a phenomenal job in creating a culture and a value system. I’m thankful and grateful to be part of it.”
Engelbrecht has also repaid the trust shown in him by the Netherlands management. He is currently their highest run-getter in the tournament with 370 runs. He isn’t just enjoying his stints on the field, but has also travelled down memory lane off it, meeting players whom he played against in the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia in 2008. “I saw Manish Pandey for the first time after the 2008 final,” he said. “It was so good to see him again in the practice game against Karnataka. I’m looking forward to seeing many of the players that I haven’t seen over many years.”
More than a month after Engelbrecht played those warm-up matches against a Karnataka XI, he is all set to confront a cricketer who didn’t just captain that India Under-19 side to a World Cup triumph, but went on to become a cricket superstar – Virat Kohli.
There is a lot more to Engelbrecht’s career than shifting base from South Africa to the Netherlands and switching over to another field. Just some months before he decided to pursue higher studies, Engelbrecht had a breakout season in first-class cricket. He didn’t just average over 50 in the Sunfoil Series in 2015-16, but also cracked a superlative unbeaten 162 in a game played between Eastern Province and KwaZulu-Natal. In 2013-14 and 2014-15, he also had a good run in List-A cricket.
The above-mentioned numbers can be unearthed through various stat-based outlets. But what about his formative years? When did he first pick up a bat? How did he fall in love with the game? “I think playing cricket in the garden at the age of 3 with my friends, I would look back with fond memories,” said Engelbrecht. “It is something I would love for my son to do with his friends one day, to play and enjoy and express, that is the most important thing. I think I was about 11 years old, when my parents bought my first real cricket bat.
“I was lucky enough to make it to the South African Under-19 team. I was super privileged to have played nine-odd years in South Africa. I would have loved to have played for South Africa at the senior level, but it just didn’t pan out. I suppose that is life.”
There is another facet of Engelbrecht’s game that isn’t exactly well-known – his bowling skills. For a period of time, he was a useful off-spinner, who also had the doosra in his armoury. However, the doosra came under scrutiny. Although he was subsequently cleared to bowl again, he seems to have lost a little bit of confidence in his bowling. Incidentally, he is yet to bowl in the World Cup.
“It was predominantly only the doosra,” he said. “I was called in a semifinal against the Dolphins, I think. Had to go to Pretoria, and I got cleared straight away. It wasn’t an easy time, but I always knew that the stock delivery, the off-spinner, was fine. Although I thought the doosra also was okay, it was marginally off. Cleared and continued playing for quite a number of years.”
Some 15 years ago, Engelbrecht hit the headlines for taking a jaw-dropping catch at backward point to dismiss PNG’s Alfred Amini in the Under-19 World Cup. He flew like a bird to his right and pouched a one-handed stunner. The commentator on air perhaps rightly said: “You won’t see any better than that.”
Engelbrecht doesn’t recall much of that brilliance. “That has been many years now, hopefully I can take a few decent catches in the World Cup and win some matches for my side,” he said. Maybe that wish to grab another blinder could come true in front of a boisterous Chinnaswamy crowd, and against an all-conquering Indian side.