The return of Sybrand Engelbrecht

Sybrand Engelbrecht retired from professional cricket in December 2016.

Nearly seven years later, at the age of 35, he made his international debut. At the World Cup, no less.

The lasting global public visual of Sybrand was the catch he plucked during the 2008 Under-19 World Cup at backward point. It's the only visual that even the broadcasters could play of him and it's a catch he's reminded of as often as he rolls his eyes and reminds back "I'm a little older now". There's certainly more to him, his life and his cricket - all of which went missing from the public glare over the last 15 years.

After having played 54 first-class, 57 List A and 45 T20 games in South Africa's domestic set-up and realising that his career wouldn't witness a massive upswing in the near future, he decided to shift focus. A month after quitting cricket, with a degree in finance and project management at hand, he took up a corporate job at Fairtree, a business school.

"It was the gap in these years when I didn't have much to do with cricket. It was really when my family and I moved to Netherlands (in 2021) that I picked up my bat again. It was the easiest way for us to integrate into the community and make new friends. When I picked the bat up, I missed it and fell in love all over again.

"My wife stopped working because we had a little one. He was six months old when we made the move. We're very, very blessed to be there. It's a good place to live. The community we're in is fantastic, we've made some very good friends and the cricket guys are absolutely world-class. I'm very, very fortunate to be here."

Playing for the Voorburg Cricket Club, he featured in three successive finals of the Division 1 tournament Topklasse. However, the uncertainty was over whether he was qualified to play for the national team.

"We've consistently done well as a club. We've integrated and built a strong base, a strong foundation within the club. In our club, we've got a lot of guys who are in the Dutch setup. It's always been fantastic to test my skills against those guys and help and try and guide and learn and help them where I can.

"I suppose, it was always at the back of my mind (to be playing international cricket) but it was never the primary focus. It was never 'Oh, I want to play for Netherlands'. It only became more apparent once we started to find out if I'm eligible or not. We started that just after the qualifiers (in 2023). I did a bit of research and spoke a little bit. We thought I was close, so we checked with the ICC and they said, 'Okay, you're eligible.' A week after that I made my debut for the Netherlands A team and just got into the environment, into the team, and got blessing from the business to get a proper crack - to firstly get to the World Cup and get with the entire team. They have been fantastic, they have taken all the workload off so that I can just focus on hitting the cricket ball."

There wasn't much Engelbrecht had to offer to Netherlands in his debut game against New Zealand. No role with the ball, and by the time he came in to bat, the chase was out of bounds and the process a mere formality.

Yet, whether to prove his fitness or excitement, there was a spring in his step as he kept pressing for quick singles and twos. Doing the old things right. He is still working full-time, and probably unsure for how long he'll be able to commit to international-level cricket as well, but he's certain that the game is moving forward for the Dutch.

"Pretty disappointed about the result (against New Zealand). We are moving in the right direction but we need to learn a little bit faster as a team. Personally, it's a dream come true [for me]. Any young kid who plays cricket wants to play international cricket and to do that at the World Cup is really special. It's a moment I'll look back at fondly But the important thing for me and us as a team is that we learn and grow, and try and be better and try and win some games. It's special. But at the same time, we really want to come out here and compete and push and make the case known that Dutch cricket is going in the right direction.

"[In Netherlands] It is not as professional as the structures and the systems are in South Africa. There is a lot less capital involved. But the environment that has been created by the management team led primarily by Ryan Cook, he has been nothing short of phenomenal. The cultures and values they have instilled within the team are fantastic. I really believe we are not playing to our potential as yet, but Dutch cricket is on the right track. With a little bit of capital and a little bit of time, we can be a force to reckon with in the years to come. It's not near where it's for some of the bigger nations but we're working extremely hard with what we've got to make a bigger impact."

For now, he's getting set for his next assignment - against South Africa on October 13 - where he will encounter a few familiar faces.