OTD: South African batter Rassie van der Dussen was born today in 1989

The experienced South African top-order batter Rassie Van Dur Dussen is celebrating his 35th birthday today. In the last few years South African cricket has undergone a transition and Van der Dussen has played a key role in the resurrection of Proteas in international cricket. The elegant right-hander has proved to be a pillar in the South African batting order. 

It was a long pursuit for Rassie van der Dussen to break into the South African team. He already had a lot of experience playing at the highest level when selectors finally called him up for the squad in 2018. His maiden international match was a T20I against Zimbabwe in October 2018. He soon found his place in the ODI team as well and made his debut in the 50-over format in January 2019 against Pakistan. Later that year van der Dussen also got the opportunity to represent South Africa in Test cricket against England. 

A consistent performer

Since his debut in international cricket, Rassie van der Dussen has been consistent with his performances, particularly in the 50-over format. So far, he has played 62 One-Day internationals for South Africa where he has amassed 2360 runs at a phenomenal average of 52.44. In Test cricket, he has represented the Proteas in 18 Test matches. The experienced campaigner has not been able to translate his performances in ODIs to the longest format as he has scored 905 runs at a disappointing average of 30.16. 

He will be a key player for South Africa in the upcoming T20 World Cup and his stats in this format also suggest the same. The 35-year-old has 1071 runs to his name in the 43 T20 internationals with a strike rate of 129.19. In recent times he has stepped up in major tournaments and the South African fans would be hoping that he delivers once again in the 2024 T20 World Cup. 

Also read: Daniel Vettori became the youngest player to represent New Zealand in Test Cricket in 1997