Bas de Leede awarded ICC Associate Cricketer of the Year 2023

Netherlands all-rounder Bas de Leede has been named the ICC Associate Cricketer of the Year 2023. He is only the second Dutchman to win this prestigious award after Ryan ten Doeschate, who took home the prize in 2008 and 2011. 

De Leede picked up 31 wickets in ODIs in 2023, the most by any associate player, and with that bat, he hit 424 runs at 28.26, which inluded a fifty and a ton.

Accepting the award, de Leede said, “I'm accepting the award, but I think most of the Dutch boys would have been in contention for it. So it's a cool way to finish off a great year for the Netherlands.

“Looking at my performances, it's probably the best I've played for Holland, which I'm very thankful for. I'm happy to have put in some performances to make that happen there."

De Leede scripted history during the World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe where he became only the fifth player in ODI history to pick up a five-wicket haul and score a century in the same match. The feat against Scotland helped the Netherlands qualify for ODI World Cup for the first time since 2011.

At the World Cup too, de Leede was the pick of the Dutch players, picking up 16 wickets in eight matches, finishing above Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, Pakistani Haris Rauf and Adil Rashid. Netherlands also went on to beat Bangladesh and tournament favourites South Africa at the World Cup.

De Leede will once again bey key when the Dutch will take part in the T20 World Cup in the US and the Caribbean in June this year. Netherlands have been drawn against Nepal, South Africa, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Group D of the marquee event, starting June 1.