Roelof van der Merwe: Netherlands 'bulldog' with love of fish fingers plots England shock

The last thing England's players need at the tail end of a dismal World Cup campaign is a snarling 'Bulldog' yapping at their heels.

Unfortunately for Jos Buttler and his side, the owner of that canine moniker, Roelof van der Merwe of the Netherlands, is not in the mood to roll over and have his tummy tickled.

A jaded England face the Dutch in Pune on Wednesday, with Van der Merwe and his team-mates enthusiastically sensing the chance to seal their third win of the tournament.

"It has been an immensely disappointing World Cup for England," Van der Merwe told BBC Sport.

"They have world-class players and a world-class team. It hasn't gone their way. They haven't clicked.

"Are they vulnerable for an upset? We are going to prepare 100% to go out and win the game.

"We wanted to reach the semi-finals but three wins - against South Africa, Bangladesh and possibly England - would be a good World Cup for us."

England have succumbed to embarrassing defeats by the Netherlands previously.

An England XI featuring Nasser Hussain and Alec Stewart lost by three runs chasing 177 in Amstelveen in 1989 on a sodden matting pitch.

There was a thrilling last-ball win, external for the Dutch against England in the opening match of the T20 World Cup at Lord's in 2009, before they repeated the feat with a 45-run victory at the tournament in Bangladesh in 2014.

England have, though, won all three of their 50-over World Cup meetings with the Netherlands - in 1996, 2003 and 2011.

The sides last met in a one-day international series last year when England racked up a record ODI score of 498 in the first match as part of a 3-0 clean sweep.

Van der Merwe missed it because of county commitments with Somerset but said no scars have been left by that mauling.

"We haven't once spoken about that game on this trip," said Van der Merwe. "It's gone.

"The boys are a lot more confident in this game than they would have been for that match."

Johannesburg-born Van der Merwe's cricketing education began on club grounds in Pretoria following his dad around while his mum scored, before taking the game more seriously at school where he was a wicketkeeper-batter.

He played for South Africa at the Under-19 World Cup in 2004 as a keeper but that was followed by a couple of years in the wilderness after turning to left-arm spin, and wondering whether he had what it takes to crack it as a professional cricketer.

A confidence-boosting, and colourful, season playing league cricket as an overseas amateur in the Manchester & District Association for Stretford Cricket Club in 2006 proved a turning point.

Stretford's then-captain Chris Barlow recalled picking up a 22-year-old Van der Merwe from the airport.

"When Roelof came through security he was wearing an alice band and his tongue was pierced," said Barlow.

"I thought, 'What on earth have we got ourselves here?'

"But he was a breath of fresh air. From day one his talent was clear to see, but the passion you see now with the way he celebrates, that was Roelof back in 2006."

Van der Merwe quickly won over his Stretford team-mates with match-winning centuries and superb bowling spells, and like many overseas club cricketers enjoyed himself off the field.

"I remember a game in the Lancashire Cup one Sunday. It must have been 15 minutes before the game and there was no sign of Roelof," Barlow said.

"It was only when we moved the sightscreens for a different pitch we found him asleep behind them after a heavy night. I gave him a rollicking, an energy drink, then we watched him go out and score a brilliant hundred.

"He is a 100% type of guy. That double fist pump celebration was the same back then. Roelof would celebrate getting out a local club opener the same as he would if it was Steve Smith."

Van der Merwe chipped in with all aspects of club life at Stretford. He coached the juniors and helped round the ground, although he never quite got the hang of cooking.

"His dinners consisted of one of two things," said Barlow.

"He had a particular kebab he liked from a local shop. If he was cooking himself he would go to the shop and buy a bag of fish fingers. He'd then have 12 fish fingers on a butty, which I think he ate for five nights a week!

"He was aggressive on the pitch, but every club loved playing against him then having a beer with him afterwards.

"I don't think he made a single enemy. He was a pleasure to captain, pleasure to play with and a pleasure to still call a friend."

Van der Merwe returned to South Africa after his stint with Stretford CC with a league record 1,200 runs at 80 and 53 wickets at 11.26 under his belt and kicked on to make his List A and first-class debut later that year.

Titans assistant coach Chris van Noordwyk dubbed Van der Merwe the 'Bulldog' a year after he returned from his stint in England, and it has stuck with him ever since.

"I am somebody who keeps punching, keeps fighting and that keeps me going in the game so I think that's where it came from," Van der Merwe said.

"Having that energy keeps me competitive to influence games. I like to get into the fight."

He made his international debut for South Africa against Australia in 2009, but after being unluckily stuck on 13 ODIs and 13 T20Is for the Proteas he fell out of favour and switched allegiances to the Netherlands in 2015.

Van der Merwe qualifies for the Netherlands through his Dutch mother, although his surname on his father's side can be traced back to employees of the Dutch East India Company who arrived in South Africa in the 17th century.

With a young family, Van der Merwe is now based in Somerset where golf, gardening and his passion for Swedish pop-rock duo Roxette occupy any spare time.

"I have missed seeing Roxette three times due to cricket!" he added. "I love Guns and Roses, too. I know he's stopped touring but going to see Elton John is still on my bucket list of people I want to see."

Van der Merwe has become the embodiment of a modern globetrotting franchise player, playing for everyone from Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL to Northern Superchargers in The Hundred via the Hung Hom JD Jaguars in the Hong Kong T20 Blitz.

The 38-year-old's spectacular age-defying catches, inspired by his hero Jonty Rhodes, along with his aggressive batting, have made him popular with fans wherever he pitches up.

But it is Van der Merwe's celebration of a wicket which has made him a cult hero. A double fist pump, eyes-popping out of their sockets, and mouth roaring almost in angry defiance.

"It's instinctive and just happens," Van der Merwe added.

"I got sent a photo montage of my career the other day and I've actually been doing it for quite a while. I only realised halfway through my career I've got this quite unique trademark celebration.

"I don't just sit in my room at night practising it - it happens on the day and is a release from the battle of the game."

There are two extra incentives for Van der Merwe and his Netherlands team-mates in the rest of this World Cup.

A live stream of their meeting with England - and also their final game with India - will be available to watch for free on the website of a major Dutch public broadcaster.

The rest of the tournament has been streamed live by a subscription-only service so there is, in theory, the potential for greater exposure for cricket in the country.

However, the major thing at stake - and one that is potentially damaging for England - is qualification for the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025.

The top seven sides at the World Cup will qualify for the ODI tournament alongside hosts Pakistan. With Pakistan highly unlikely to finish outside the top eight teams in the group-stage table the Netherlands need to finish eighth to secure their spot.

The latter two sides face New Zealand and Australia respectively in the final matches which leaves the Dutch knowing that victory over England could potentially seal a top-eight spot.

A participation fee of £405,000 (USD $500,000) from the ICC for the Champions Trophy would be a major injection of cash.

The ECB recently handed out contracts, ranging from one year to three, to 29 England players.

By comparison just four Netherlands players - Scott Edwards, Max O'Dowd, Teja Nidamanuru and Vivian Kingma - have full-time playing contracts with the Royal Dutch Cricket Federation (KNCB), with most of the rest of the squad part time, or balancing professional cricket commitments.

"Of course there's the money side of things with the Champions Trophy," Van der Merwe explained.

"But it's also another opportunity to go and play against the best teams in the world. We are starving for that.

"We need to play competitive cricket against very good teams to keep improving. It's crucial we play things like the Champions Trophy and against mainstream teams."

The Dutch produced an eye-catching display to beat South Africa earlier in the tournament which was particularly special for Van der Merwe, born and raised in Johannesburg.

"We looked at the T20 World Cup in Australia where we had beaten them before so that gave us confidence," he added.

"To beat South Africa again was great. The boys played a great game of cricket that day.

"For me personally, it was something I'll remember for the rest of my life. People in South Africa said to me 'Congratulations Bulldog' but I got the sense more than a few were annoyed with me!

"The more ODI games we play the more we really challenge these full member teams."

England will be hoping that Van der Merwe's bark is worse than his bite in Pune.