Paul van Meekeren is a Dutch cricketer who plays internationally for the Netherlands and domestically for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club. He is a right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium bowler who has played in various formats of the game. He has also represented Somerset and Durham in English county cricket, and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in T20 franchise cricket. He is known for his pace, accuracy, and ability to swing the ball.
Paul van Meekeren was born on January 15, 1993, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He grew up in a cricket-loving family and started playing the game at the age of seven. His father, Adriaan van Meekeren, is a former cricketer who played for VRA Amsterdam and coached the Netherlands Under-15 team. His mother, Marianne van Meekeren, is a teacher and a cricket enthusiast. He has a younger sister, Anna van Meekeren, who is also a cricketer and plays for the Netherlands women's team.
Paul van Meekeren is unmarried and lives in Bristol, England. He is fluent in Dutch, English, and Afrikaans. He holds a bachelor's degree in sports management from Inholland University of Applied Sciences in Amsterdam. He is also a qualified cricket coach and has worked as a player-coach at Kampong Cricket Club in Utrecht. He enjoys travelling, cycling, and playing golf in his spare time.
Paul van Meekeren started playing cricket at VRA Amsterdam, where his father was his coach and mentor. He represented the Netherlands at various age-group levels and was part of the squad that played in the 2012 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Australia. He made his first-class debut for the Netherlands against Scotland in the 2013 ICC Intercontinental Cup and took four wickets in the match. He also made his List A debut for the Netherlands against Kenya in the 2013 World Cricket League Championship and took two wickets.
In 2016, he moved to England to pursue his cricket career and joined Somerset County Cricket Club on a short-term deal until the end of the season. He impressed with his performances in club cricket and was offered a two-year contract by Somerset until the end of the 2018 season. He made his Twenty20 debut for Somerset in the 2016 NatWest t20 Blast against Hampshire and took two wickets.
Paul van Meekeren made his One Day International (ODI) debut for the Netherlands against South Africa at Amstelveen on May 31, 2013. He bowled four overs and took the wicket of Hashim Amla as the Netherlands lost by 84 runs.https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/paul-van-meekeren-348109 He made his Twenty20 International (T20I) debut for the Netherlands against Kenya at Windhoek on April 20, 2013. He bowled three overs and took one wicket as the Netherlands won by seven wickets.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_van_Meekeren
He was part of the Netherlands squad that played in the 2016 ICC World Twenty20 in India. He had a memorable tournament as he took four wickets for 11 runs against Ireland at Dharamsala, which remain his best figures in T20I cricket.https://www.celebsagewiki.com/paul-van-meekeren He also took three wickets against Oman at Nagpur.https://www.cricbuzz.com/profiles/9357/paul-van-meekeren He finished as the joint second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament with seven wickets at an average of 9.28.
Paul van Meekeren has played 13 ODIs for the Netherlands until October 2023, scoring 71 runs at an average of 14.20 and a strike rate of 80.41. He has not hit any fifty with a highest score of 21 not out. He has also bowled 582 balls and taken 15 wickets at an average of 36.00 and an economy rate of 5.63. His best bowling figures are 2/28.
His highest score in ODIs came against Papua New Guinea at Amstelveen on June 24, 2023. He came in at number nine and hit two fours and a six in his 18-ball innings as the Netherlands posted 264 for nine. However, they lost the match by four wickets.
His best bowling performance in ODIs came against Nepal at Amstelveen on August 3, 2018. He bowled 10 overs and took two wickets for 28 runs as the Netherlands bowled out Nepal for 134 and won the match by 55 runs.
Paul van Meekeren has played 58 T20Is for the Netherlands until November 2022, scoring 99 runs at an average of 7.07 and a strike rate of 119.27. He has not hit any fifty with a highest score of 24. He has also bowled 1,165 balls and taken 64 wickets at an average of 21.21 and an economy rate of 6.99. His best bowling figures are 4/11.
His highest score in T20Is came against New Zealand at The Hague on August 4, 2022. He came in at number 11 and hit two fours and a six in his 11-ball innings as the Netherlands posted 163 for nine. However, they lost the match by eight wickets.
His best bowling performance in T20Is came against Ireland at Dharamsala on March 13, 2016. He bowled four overs and took four wickets for 11 runs as the Netherlands bowled out Ireland for 47 and won the match by 12 runs.
Paul van Meekeren has not played any Test matches for the Netherlands as they do not have Test status.
Paul van Meekeren has not captained the Netherlands in any international matches.
Paul van Meekeren has not been involved in any major controversies in his cricket career.
Paul van Meekeren is a Dutch cricketer who plays internationally for the Netherlands and domestically for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club. He is a right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium bowler who has played in various formats of the game. He has also represented Somerset and Durham in English county cricket, and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in T20 franchise cricket. He is known for his pace, accuracy, and ability to swing the ball. He has achieved several records and accolades for his performances and is one of the most promising players for the Netherlands.