Jade Dernbach

Yet another South African-born English cricketer, Jade Dernbach at the age of 17 became Surrey’s youngest debutant in 30 years to play county cricket when he played against India A in 2003. Struggling to find a place in the early stages, it was in 2005 when he was included in Surrey’s playing XI and proved to be the X factor for his squad.

The following season, right-arm pacer Dernbach proved his worth when he became Surrey’s leading wicket-taker in the 2006 County Championship. He matched his red-ball form with an impressive performance in the Natwest Pro40. On the back of an amazing show in ECB’s fast bowling program, he was picked in the 2011 Ashes Series but didn’t get an opportunity to play. A surprise addition to England’s squad for the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup as a replacement for Ajmal Shazad but was not picked to play.

Dernbach made his ODI debut just after the disastrous World Cup against Sri Lanka and scalped two massive wickets in the victory. Dernbach was named in England’s T20I squad for the 2012 World Twenty20. Known for his rock star appearance and the possession of vast variations in his repertoire, Dernbach was expected to become the superstar of the game but his career never took off. His form deteriorated with time and soon he was not an automatic selection even for his county team.

At the age of 35, Dernbach last played in an international fixture in 2014 and domestically he hasn’t played domestic cricket since 2018. Dernbach announced his retirement from international cricket on the day of England winning the 2019 ICC World Cup final against the Blackcaps. The 2021 season is all set to be his last in competitive cricket.

(As of July 2021)