Johann Myburgh

Johannes Myburgh is one of many cricketers who turned their back on South Africa in search of more opportunities elsewhere.

He was quite a loss. In 1998, as a 17-year-old schoolboy, Myburgh broke Graeme Pollock's record to become the youngest double-centurion in South African first-class cricket and went on to become a regular in the South Africa U19 side, alongside the likes of Graeme Smith, Jacques Rudolph, Ahmed Amla, Jonathan Trott and Michael Lumb.

After a couple of years playing for Northerns B, Myburgh was promoted to the Northerns side where he formed an impressive opening partnership with Rudolph. He recorded centuries against Easters and Border and made his debut for Titans - the side formed by the merger of Northerns and Easterns - in 2005 making two centuries in a match against KwaZulu-Natal.

Attracted by the opportunity to replace the retiring Nathan Astle at Canterbury and knowing that there was only a three-year qualification period to represent New Zealand in international cricket, Myburgh emigrated to the country in 2007. He soon flourished - including scoring 87 against England in 2008 - but, with the prospect of international cricket only months away and the offer of a new contract with Auckland, Myburgh moved once again.

This time he moved to the UK with his British wife. At first he joined Hampshire as a Kolpak registration, helping the county to the final of the Caribbean T20 tournament in 2010-11. But with opportunities proving scarce, he signed a T20 contract with Durham in 2012 and then, after a year of club cricket in 2013, joined Somerset for 2014 on a one-year deal. That reunited Myburgh with his coach at Titans and Canterbury, Dave Nosworthy.

He enjoyed a season of modest success. 530 first-class runs, sometimes as stand-in opener, at an average of 31.17 and 11 wickets with his off-spin were enough to win him another deal, despite the departure of Nosworthy.

He is the brother of Stephan Myburgh, who has enjoyed a similarly mobile career, and enjoyed some success representing Netherlands.
George Dobell