Roland Lefebvre


Roland Philippe Lefebvre, is a former Dutch cricketer and also former ODI captain for Netherlands. Although not exposed to many international games at the time, Lefebvre is considered as one of the very few players from outside the Test-playing nations to achieve a significant career in the professional game.

Domestic career

Lefebvre made his first-class debut with Somerset against Oxford University in 1990, then took 5/30 on his first County Championship appearance the following week. Later that year he claimed 7/15 in Somerset's record 346-run victory against Devon in the NatWest Trophy. He spent the winter in New Zealand playing for Canterbury, where he achieved his career-best first-class bowling of 6/45, then back in England in 1991 scored his only first-class hundred, making exactly 100 against Worcestershire.
Lefebvre was signed by Glamorgan for 1993 and proved particularly effective in one-day cricket where his consistent accuracy made him difficult for batsmen to dominate, as evidenced by a superb bowling analysis of 11-5-13-2 in the quarter-final of the NatWest Trophy game against Worcestershire. Lefebvre's bowling was a significant factor in Glamorgan's Sunday League triumph in 1993.

International career

A bad groin injury in 1995 forced Lefebvre to retire from professional cricket, but he continued to appear for his country in the ICC Trophy, a competition for which he holds several career records: most appearances, most wickets taken and most catches by an outfielder. He also appeared for the Netherlands at full One Day International level in the 1996 and 2003 World Cups and in the 2002/03 Champions Trophy, captaining the Dutch team from 1999 onwards.
Lefebvre retired from playing after the 2003 World Cup, and is now employed as the Dutch national youth coach.