'Dutch' Nannes shocked by Australia call-up

Melbourne-born Dutch pacer Dirk Nannes said he found it "bizarre" after Australia named him in their Twenty20 team even as his wife was "jumping up and down" at the news.

Nannes, who represented Holland in the recent World T20, was named in the Australia squad for two matches against England and the 33-year-old pacer said he feared he had done something wrong when Cricket Australia's General Manager of Operations Michael Brown called him.

"I was sitting at home and the phone rang and it was Michael Brown, and he normally calls either if you're selected or you've done something wrong and I was scratching my brain to work out what I'd done wrong because I had no idea there were even Twenty20s in England, I hadn't even looked. Complete surprise.

"It hasn't sunk in for me but my wife was jumping up and down," Nannes was quoted as saying by 'The Guardian'.

"Bizarre the way the world turns isn't it? At the time I certainly didn't think I'd get a go. But at the time I didn't really know there was another Twenty20 World Cup coming up next year again," he said.

Son of Dutch migrant parents, Nannes represented Holland and is still eligible to play for Australia since Holland is merely an associate member of the ICC. 

However, once he represents Australia, Nannes cannot play for Holland again.

For someone who calls himself "accidental cricketer", Nannes studied saxophone, speaks Japanese and runs a ski-travel company. 

Struggling to come to terms with yet another chapter in his life, the bowler said, "It's just bizarre. Certainly when you're growing up as a kid you think about it but cricket's been a bit of a whirlwind for me, starting so late, and it's kind of crept along and crept along. One day I'm playing for Victoria which I thought was amazing, the next day I got the IPL gig and then I'm playing in the World Cup for Holland and then this.

"It's all a bit bizarre and it's probably going to be in 10 years when I sit down and go 'geez I've done some pretty good things'," he said. 

Nannes, who represents Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League, does not regret playing for Holland either.

"It's a super plus for me that I've done that, who knows whether I would have been selected if I didn't play for them..

I had a great experience there and it's done me a world of good," he said.

"It was good fun, and it was certainly unique because everyone there, they're all amateurs... I was playing with a Burger King manager and a debt collector and an insurance salesman and they were just having fun playing cricket," he added.