The England team that won the 2019 World Cup was trolled in social media due to the presence of several players of non-English origin. In cricket, there are only 8-10 countries that play regularly throughout the year. Those countries have better chances of winning big tournaments and hence players from smaller countries often migrate to other nations in search of glory. In this article, we will look at five players who have played for two countries in International cricket.
#5 Luke Ronchi – Australia and New Zealand
Ronchi has played for two countries, namely Australia and New Zealand. Ronchi retired as a wicketkeeper of New Zealand, but he first represented the trans-Tasman rivals Australia in 2008. He played four games in the absence of Brad Haddin, but chances increasingly became rarer thereafter. He then debuted for the Black Caps in 2013 and enjoyed a lot of success in his home country.
A remarkable 170* in an ODI game against India is arguably the best innings of his career. He retired in 2017 with a strike rate of 114 in ODI.
#4 Dirk Nannes – Netherlands and Australia
Nannes was a left-arm pacer who started his career in the Netherlands and ended in Australia. Nannes was part of the Netherlands team which stunned England in the opener of the 2009 T-20 World Cup. He became a prominent bowler in the T-20 circuit and was called up for the 2010 T-20 World Cup. Nannes finishing on top of the bowling charts in that World Cup with 14 wickets.
Although he lived in Australia, Nannes had Dutch migrant parents, which allowed him to represent both nations. He played franchise cricket until 2015 and now runs a ski-travel company.
#3 Mark Chapman – Hong Kong and New Zealand
Chapman was born in Hong Kong and made an impressive debut for his home country with a century against the UAE on his debut. However, after playing for two years he realized that he cannot play at the elite level with Hong Kong. He decided to pursue a career in New Zealand and made his debut for the Black Caps in 2019.
After inconsistent performances, he has lost his spot in the New Zealand starting eleven but continues to remain in the fringes. If he contributes more overs with his left-arm spin, Chapman might get a ticket to the T-20 World Cup in India.
#2 Boyd Rankin – Ireland and England
Rankin has played for two countries namely, Ireland and England. Ireland stunned the cricketing world in 2007 when they eliminated Pakistan from the World Cup. Boyd Rankin was their star that year, and he continued to grab the spotlight with his performances for Ireland. But in 2012, he made a decision to focus on earning a Test cap for England. His desire was fulfilled when he earned a call-up for the 2013-14 Ashes.
A year later he gave up his England dreams and started playing for Ireland again. He last played a Test against England in 2019 and picked up four wickets.
#1 Eoin Morgan – Ireland and England
When Morgan made the switch to England in 2009, few would have thought that he would one-day captain England to World Cup glory. His first stint as captain was a remarkable failure as England crashed out of the 2015 World Cup. After that defeat, Morgan dropped seniors and adopted a very aggressive brand of cricket.
In the next four years, England completely dominated the ODI circuit which culminated in the 2019 World Cup victory. 2023 World Cup could be his swan song and a victory would be the icing on the cake for one of England’s greatest.
