Paul van Meekeren

Paul van Meekeren is a talented seam bowler from Holland who made his international debut at 20. A right-handed Lower Order Batsman, his Right-arm Fast seam bowling is by far and away his stronger discipline. His energetic fast bowling has continued to improve to a point where he now sits inside the top 50 International T20 bowlers in the World (No. 43). He is currently The Netherlands all time highest wicket-taker of all seam bowlers to represent the “Oranje” in T20 Internationals.

Born and raised in Holland, he grew up representing Rood en Wit CC before switching to Amsterdam CC. He was a regular feature for Holland throughout the age groups, often playing up and age and was selected for the National “A” team in 2010 at 17 years old. Whilst playing club cricket in the North East in 2016, he was offered the chance to link with Somerset on a short-term deal and remained with them through to the end of the 2019 season. Paul had been on a few people’s radar earlier in 2016 when he produced an outstanding spell of 4-11 against Ireland in the T20 World Cup qualifiers.

In 2017, Paul was included in the Netherlands squad for the Inaugural Desert T20 Challenge. Against Hong Kong he broke the record for the highest score by a number 11 batsman in Twenty20 Internationals and the only person to score multiple sixes while batting at number 11 in a Twenty20 International. In 2018, Paul was picked up in the Hong Kong Blitz (Kowloon Cantons) & Everest Premier Leagues (Biratnagar Warriors). Paul was also selected to play for the victorious Winnipeg Hawks franchise team in the 2019 Global T20 Canada tournament, picking up 2 wickets in the Final. Paul was drafted to play for the Amsterdam Knights in the ill-fated inaugural edition of the Euro T20 Slam cricket tournament.

His most polished and consistent performance came when it mattered most for Holland, picking up 15 wickets @ 14.06 in the 2020 T20 World Cup qualifiers in the UAE, helping to secure a place in the big dance in October 2021.

Having completed his contract with Somerset, Paul, not wanting to sit still, linked with Cutthorpe CC and Cuckney CC in the 2020/2021 UK club seasons. In July 2021, Paul was drafted into the Durham side for the Royal London 50-over competition and bagged 14 wickets @ 22.14 with a best of 3-33 against Hampshire as Durham qualified for the final. He was unable to to remain with the club as he had accepted an offer to link with the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots for the 2021 edition of the Caribbean Premier League, picking up 8 wickets in 8 games.

Seeking opportunities both in the UK and worldwide and seeking to make the most of his T20 bowling skills and will be a popular addition to any dressing room lucky enough to pick up him up in the future. A keen coach, Qualified as a Level 2 and enrolled for his level 3 after the World Cup, Paul has plenty to offer and at 28, is just coming into his prime.