Dirk Nannes: international man of mystery Print E-mail
Category: Features
Written by Luke Tagg   
Sunday, 07 February 2010 18:23
Dirk NannesI make no secret of nor apologies for my obsession with the speed gun in cricket. I've always loved genuine quick bowling and it's the only method I have of judging who is fast.

It should come as no surprise, therefore, that one of my favourite cricketers is Dirk Nannes, the half-Aussie, half-Dutch paceman who describes himself as "the accidental cricketer".

I don't just like him for his fearsome pace and swing, however - the man himself is a cricketing rarity and more full of surprises than any given Ajantha Mendis over.

I first became aware of him in IPL 2 in South Africa last year when he turned up for the Delhi Daredevils following a good season for Victoria in the Big Bash, Australia's domestic T20 series.

Two things made him stand out immediately: his extreme pace and the fact that he was keeping Glenn McGrath out of the side. For game after game the commentators mused at the fact that McGrath couldn't get a game, yet few could argue that Nannes deserved his place.

A T20 Catch-22.

He bagged 15 wickets in 13 games at 24.80 and terrified anyone who faced him. I kept my eye on the speed gun whenever he bowled and he never disappointed, sometimes averaging over 150km/h in his four overs. He bowled a good few that were over 155km/h and he had swing and bounce as part of his armoury.

I still had no idea who he was, however, until I heard him interviewed after winning a game for Delhi against the Deccan Chargers with a fearsome 3/27 - and discovered he was an Aussie.

That was surprising - Australia has an excellent system for spotting and nurturing talent and I couldn't believe he was 32 years old and I'd never heard of him. I would have expected him to show up in a national squad at some stage, bowling at that pace.

It was no wonder, however - nobody else had heard of him either. That's because he didn't make his debut at first-class level until he was 29.

As the IPL went on more details began emerging about Nannes and it was one smile-inducing surprise after another.

The son of Dutch migrants, he never took cricket seriously. He played some club games but was more interested in pursuing a skiing career, appearing in several World Cup events and narrowly missing out on selection in the Australian squad for the Winter Olympics.

According to Nannes he lost interest in competitive skiing one day and decided to focus on cricket. He spent a lot of time at his local park club, trying to bowl as fast as possible in the nets.

He was spotted by Victoria and handed a first-class debut in 2005/6 at the age of 29 and has risen through the ranks since then.

He made his name in the IPL but followed it up by playing for the Netherlands in the World Twenty20 in England, courtesy of his Dutch passport. He felt snubbed by Australia but claims he didn't play for the Netherlands out of spite - he simply wanted to play in a World Cup.

He has subsequently played one ODI and two T20s for Australia, most recently in the victory over Pakistan in the first T20 International in Melbourne, where Shaun Tait hit 160km/h.

It was a brilliant bowling performance to watch - Tait was pushing 160km/h and Mitchell Johnson and Nannes were both getting into the 150s. That's by far the quickest pace attack I've seen in recent times, based purely on speed gun stats.

Nannes is also a saxophone player and there was a popular rumour flying around that he speaks Japanese, which he has subsequently denied. Japanese or not, there's plenty of colour to the man, who is married and has a son.

He boasts a permanent stubble and the straightest teeth in world cricket, and he's full of cracks and jokes and the odd bit of swearing. I like that - it gives him character. So many cricketers today talk team-speak, with very few capable of expressing creative thought.

Nannes is a true Renaissance man and I reckon the key to his cricketing success is his attitude towards cricket. He didn't let it matter too much and as soon as you let go, you find freedom.

He'd probably be more accurate had he played professional cricket from a young age, but I highly doubt he'd trade in the life he's had for the one he passed up on.

At 33 he's still got a couple of seasons in him and we're bound to see him in a variety of colours for a while: Aussie gold, Dutch orange and Delhi blue.

A man of good cheer, a genuine paceman and an international man of mystery. Cheers to Dirk Nannes, the accidental cricketer.
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