Kervezee's England ambition

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Alexei Kervezee in recent World Cup action for the Netherlands against England, the country he ultimately wants to represent

Alexei Kervezee, the Netherlands batsman, has revealed his long-term goal is to play for England.

The 21-year-old was a member of the Netherlands side that lost all six of their group matches in the recent World Cup, which included a six-wicket defeat to England in their opening game.

Now back on county duty at Worcestershire, Kervezee admits his ambitions are not limited to playing for one of the Associate nations.

“It is something I would like to do, represent England at international level,” Kervezee, who qualifies for a second adopted nation this year, told the ECB Cricket Podcast.

“If it’s realistic I don’t know. It depends on where I stand in the set-up, if they want me as a player.”

Much has been expected of Kervezee at New Road since he made his Worcestershire debut as a 17-year-old in 2008, but his performances last summer won him many admirers outside the county.

An impressive 1,190 runs at 44.07, including three centuries, in his first full season helped earn Worcestershire promotion from LV= County Championship Division Two, and he is keen to match those standards in the top flight this year.

He knows that to do so he must improve on the form he showed during the World Cup, when six innings yielded just 81 runs.

“Playing for Worcestershire and playing for Holland are two different things,” said Kervezee, who spent the first 12 years of his life in Namibia before moving to the Netherlands, for whom he has played 36 one-day internationals.

“I had a good year with Worcestershire last year, then I had a different role with the Holland team when I didn’t score the runs I wanted to.

“I proved a few things to myself in my first year, and this year I’d like to do it again and play myself into people’s eyes.”