The world of Dutch cricket has been shocked by news of the death in South Africa of 25-year-old Dutch international batsman Maurits van Nierop.

Van Nierop had been working in Capetown for the past two years, and playing cricket for local club Claremont. Although he last played for The Netherlands in December 2006, he was recently named in the Dutch winter training squad, and must have had a good chance of returning to the national side.

His father Albert, who also played international cricket for The Netherlands, is currently a member of the KNCB board.

Maurits began his senior career as a teenager at Kon. UD Deventer, but moved back to VRA Amsterdam, where his father and grandfather had played most of their cricket and where he had played as a junior, in 2001. He was the first Dutch player to be given a contract with the MCC Young Cricketers.

He played 69 Hoofdklasse matches for VRA before moving to South Africa, making 1664 runs at 28.69. A former captain of the Dutch under-23 side, he played four Intercontinental Cup matches for The Netherlands and two ODIs. He narrowly missed selection for the 2007 World Cup.

The precise circumstances surrounding Van Nierop’s death, which occurred in the small hours of Wednesday morning, are as yet unclear.

He had been out for the evening with VRA coach Ryan Maron, who runs a cricket academy in Capetown, but elected to stay on at a nightclub when Maron decided to go home. Van Nierop was reportedly found by a security guard at 5 a.m., having apparently jumped or fallen off a wall while making his way towards Rondebosch from the Central Business District.

It is understood that an autopsy will take place in order to establish how he died.