Watch: Roelof van der Merwe dislocated his index finger while fielding off his own bowling last night (June 19) during Somerset’s T20 Blast game against Essex. However, he was back to bowl within a minute after getting it put back in.
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Having won the toss and elected to field at the County Ground in Chelmsford, Somerset got off to a brilliant start with the ball. They got a wicket each in the first three overs of the Essex innings as their top three fell for single-digit scores.
They were resurrected by their middle order batters Robin Das and Paul Walter, both of whom scored fifties, while Matt Critchley scored 30 off 22 balls. Roelof van der Merwe, the veteran left-arm spinner, was the last of the Somerset bowlers to get a go.
Van der Merwe came on to bowl in the 10th over and bowled four overs on the trot. After conceding 27 in three wicketless overs, he returned to take a wicket off the very first ball of his fourth over – the 16th of the innings.
The third ball of the over was a low full-toss that Critchley smashed straight down towards the bowler. Van der Merwe stopped the ball cleanly but seemed in instant, excruciating pain.
He ran towards the direction of the dressing room, with his right hand aloft and the dislocated index finger clearly visible. The physio came out and helped him put it back in place.
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Much to the astonishment of many, van der Merwe sprinted back towards his bowling run-up, getting ready to bowl the next ball.
While this would normally be a surprising turn of events for any other player, for van der Merwe, this was business as usual. He is known as the “Bulldog” for his intensity and complete commitment to the team’s cause.
During the 2022 T20 World Cup, he came out to bat at No.11 for the Netherlands with extreme back pain, leaving everyone amazed. He had left the field early in the first innings, being unable to even walk properly. Yet, with a World Cup game on the line, he came out and supported his partner, hobbling across the crease as the Dutch tried to reduce the margin of defeat.
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Essex finished their innings at 186, with van der Merwe returning figures of 4-0-36-1. Somerset were clinical in their run chase they won by seven wickets, chasing down the target with three and a half overs to spare.
Watch Roelof van der Merwe sprint back to bowl after putting dislocated finger back in place
Roelof van der Merwe is an absolute trooper: dislocates his finger brilliantly stopping a ball, gets it put back in place, and sprints back to bowl! 😎
(Viewing not advised for the squeamish)#Blast23 pic.twitter.com/Z7naGZV76p
— Vitality Blast (@VitalityBlast) June 19, 2023
