When Dutch Hero Paul van Meekeren Delivered 'Uber Eats' To Make Ends Meet

image-lnuq4ssyPaul van Meekeren Celebrating with Teammates (Source: X)

Cricket is a great leveller, they all say. And struggles are defined by how badly we want something or how much are we ready to put our every effort into it. This is true for most, but certainly for Netherlands' Paul van Meekeren, who lives his life in two different halves. One in the summer when cricket is on and another in winter when making ends meet is a struggle.

The Dutch pacer, who was crucial in his side's 38-run victory against South Africa in World Cup 2023, picked up two significant wickets in Dharamsala. The right-armer was also influential in his team's performance in last year's T20 World Cup, which was held in Australia, as he racked up 11 wickets from eight games, helping his side finish fourth in the Super 12 stage.

To most who know, Meekeren is a right-arm pacer, but during the off-season, the 30-year-old works as an 'Uber Eats' delivery associate to make ends meet when there is no other source of income.

Back on 15th November 2020, Meekeren basically replied to a Tweet put out by ESPNCricinfo where the latter mentioned that the final of the T20 World Cup was scheduled to be played today in MCG. Paul replied that he should have been playing cricket instead of working as the delivery guy for Uber Eats to earn his livelihood. Still, he ended it on a positive note, reminding everyone to keep smiling despite the struggle.

"Should’ve been playing cricket today. Now, I’m delivering Uber Eats to get through the winter months!! Funny how things change hahaha keep smiling people."

In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world, most of the cricketing activities had come to a standstill, including the ICC T20 World Cup, which was postponed until next year to 2021. The bigger cricketers weren't impacted, but talking about the associates, they had to take the brunt of the setback as players are hardly paid any good money in these countries.

Like most smaller cricketing nations, the players are paid just enough money to cover their expenses, but that only happens when cricket is being played. The off-season doesn't pay anything and, in fact, is a major liability for cricketers to find their source of revenue.

Meekeren's positive attitude has earned him the name 'Smiley' in the cricketing circles, where some of his teammates and fans call him that.