The Associate nations frequently make news for their one-of-a-kind victories in major ICC competitions. The great performances of the Associate players, on the other hand, are seldom known or noticed. Despite winning games for their teams, their knocks frequently go unnoticed due to the fact that they do not have the same large fan following as the other Test-playing nations.
The associate players have proven time and time again that they can score big when it matters, sometimes against other tiny nations and occasionally against the big 10.
In T20 cricket, traditional ways of play take a back seat to all kinds of innovations, with force and strength frequently taking precedence over touch and delicacy. This is also why some players from the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) associate and affiliate members perform well in the game’s shortest format.
Kevin O’ Brien
The elegant Irish all-rounder, who debuted in One-Day Internationals in 2006, holds the global record for the fastest century in World Cups. He accomplished this accomplishment at the 2011 ICC World Cup when he struck a 50-ball century against England to help his team win a historic game. His greatest ODI score, however, remains his first ODI century, which he scored against Kenya in 2007. He hit his first century with a score of 142 from 125 balls. O’Brien has 1672 runs at an average of 21.2 and a strike rate of 135.9 in 96 T20 matches, as well as 58 wickets at 19.6 and an economy rate of 7.53. If we ignore his international stats and just look at his domestic T20 cricket stats, the 32-year-old has 1611 runs at a strike rate of 134.25, 44 wickets at 25.88, and an economy rate of 7.94 from 92 games for teams like Gloucestershire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Surrey, Somerset, and Northern Ireland.
Tom Cooper
Tom Cooper, an Australian-born cricketer who has represented the Netherlands in 23 ODIs and 18 T20Is, has also been a notable T20 player in both the Australian and English domestic circuits. Cooper has 915 runs from 69 appearances for the Melbourne Renegades and Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League (BBL) and Somerset in the Natwest T20 Blast, with four fifties. He averages slightly under 20 and has a strike rate of 125.51. Cooper has 976 runs at 48.80 in 23 ODIs and 404 runs at 28.85 in 18 T20Is in international cricket. Overall, the 29-year-old has 1531 runs at an average of 22.85 and a strike rate of 130 in 95 T20 outings.
Ryan Ten Doeschate
In county cricket, the Netherlands international is a legend. However, his most well-known cricket came while he was a member of the IPL’s Kolkata Knight Riders. Since joining the franchise in 2011, he has been a part of two championship teams. Doeschate was a good lower-order batsman who won numerous games on his own. He appeared in 29 games for the team, scoring 326 runs with a 138.72 strike rate. He’s also got two wickets to his name. Ten Doeschate has also been a standout performer for the Netherlands at the international level, with 1541 runs and 55 wickets in 33 One-Day Internationals. In his 275 T20s, the 36-year-old has 96 wickets.
Mohammad Nabi
Afghan cricketer Mohammad Nabi has captained the team in limited-overs matches. Nabi is an all-rounder who bats right-handed and bowls off the break. He was a key figure in Afghanistan’s ascension to the highest level of international cricket, appearing in both their first One Day International and their first Test match, both in April 2009 and June 2018. During their maiden appearances in the 2014 Asia Cup and the 2015 Cricket World Cup, he captained the team. The Afghanistan veteran has developed into a valuable all-rounder for his country. Nabi’s achievements in domestic T20 cricket have been no less spectacular, at least with the ball.
Dirk Nannes
Dirk Nannes is an Australian-Dutch cricket pundit and former cricketer who has represented both Australia and the Netherlands at the international level, making him one of the few players to have done so. In 2009, Dirk Nannes signed his first IPL deal. The Delhi Daredevils scouts discovered him in several European competitions, where he was terrorizing batsmen with his menacing speed. Nannes, who played international cricket for the Netherlands, was the first player from an associate nation to participate in the IPL. Nannes was also a standout performer in the Indian Premier League (IPL) during his different spells.
