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Representing one's nation at the World Cup is an honor of the biggest magnitude a player can ever experience over the course of his career, with some making it their ultimate aim or the biggest goal. However, there are a few select players, who have attained the rare opportunity to represent two different nations at the World Cup.
Players often change their national team owing to a lack of opportunities or various other reasons, and it is a common trend observed across the cricketing circuit, but only a few manage to be successful for both nations. Being the cream of the crop across the talent pool of two different nations and making it to the World Cup is a testament to the player's ability as well.
On that note, let us take a look at four players who played for two countries in a Men’s ODI World Cup.
#1 Roelof van der Merwe (2009, 2010 - South Africa, 2016, 2021, 2022 - Netherlands)
The veteran all-rounder made his debut for South Africa in March 2009, with his ODI debut coming just a month later. He switched nations in 2015 and has been a vital cog in the Netherlands' setup since then.
Roelof van der Merwe missed out on representing South Africa in the ODI World Cup, but he has represented both the Proteas and the Dutch in the T20 World Cup. He was part of the South African squad for the 2009 and 2010 editions, while he represented the Netherlands across the 2016, 2021, and 2022 editions of the tournament.
As far as his ODI World Cup career is concerned, it kickstarted at the age of 38 in the Netherlands' ongoing clash in the 2023 edition against Pakistan.
#2 Ed Joyce (England - 2007, Ireland - 2011 and 2015)
The right-handed batter represented England in the 2007 edition of the ODI World Cup, where he played five matches, scoring two fifties in the process. Ed Joyce eventually switched teams to represent his native nation Ireland and played the subsequent two editions of the tournament.
He was part of the Ireland team that famously defeated England at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in the 2011 edition. He scored 32 runs off 61 deliveries and scored a fifty against West Indies as well later on in the tournament.
In the 2015 ODI World Cup, Joyce scored 84 runs off 67 deliveries to help Ireland chase down 305 runs against West Indies at the Saxton Oval in Nelson. He notched his one and only ODI World Cup hundred in a clash against Zimbabwe. Joyce finished with 112 runs off 103 deliveries in a five-run win for the Irish.
#3 Eoin Morgan (Ireland - 2007, England - 2011, 2015 and 2019)
England's World Cup-winning skipper began his journey in the competition with Ireland, kind of Ed Joyce's inverse route. The left-handed batter was part of the Ireland squad in the 2007 ODI World Cup and was also part of the playing XI that notched a landmark win over Pakistan in Sabina Park.
Eoin Morgan had a forgettable maiden World Cup edition as he scored only 91 runs across the entire tournament. His switch to England was completed in 2009 and he was part of the squad for the 2011 edition that made it to the quarterfinals. He only played three matches but scored two fifties, including one in the knockout clash.
The southpaw did not represent Ireland in the T20 World Cup, but played across six consecutive editions from 2009 to 2021 for England, including the victorious 2010 campaign in the Caribbean.
#4 Kepler Wessels (Australia - 1983 and South Africa - 1992)
The gifted opening batter had to represent Australia in the 1983 edition of the World Cup since his native country of South Africa was banned from playing the sport due to the apartheid policy imposed by the nation's government.
Wessels scored 92 runs in three matches for the Aussies during the tournament in England.
Once South Africa were reinstated, he led an inexperienced side in the 1992 World Cup and guided them into the semifinals, where they suffered an unfortunate defeat against England. He scored 313 runs in nine matches, which included three fifties.
#5 Anderson Cummins (West Indies - 1992 and Canada - 2007)
The pacer was part of the West Indies squad at the 1992 World Cup after having made his ODI debut in 1991. His best display came against India, where he ended with figures of 4-33 and was crowned the Player of the Match in the Windies' five-wicket win at the Basin Reserve.
Cummins was the leading wicket-taker for the West Indies at the tournament, with 12 scalps to his name in six matches.
He played in 63 ODIs for the Men in Maroon up until 1995 and made a return through the Canadian national team for the 2007 ODI World Cup. He played 13 ODIs for Canada as a 40-year-old, with three of them coming in the World Cup in the West Indies.
#6 Mark Chapman (2014, 2016 - Hong Kong, 2022 - New Zealand)
Currently part of the New Zealand ODI World Cup squad in India, Mark Chapman initially began his international cricket journey with Hong Kong. He represented Hong Kong at the 2014 and 2016 editions of the T20 World Cup, with him being the vice-captain of the side in the latter edition.
He played a solitary match for New Zealand at the 2022 edition of the tournament in Australia. Chapman made his ODI World Cup debut in New Zealand's recent nine-wicket win over England at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday.
#7 Dirk Nannes (2009 - Netherlands, 2010 - Australia)
The left-arm pacer has represented Australia and the Netherlands over the course of his international career. His maiden T20 World Cup appearance for the Netherlands came in their historic win over England in the opening encounter of the 2009 T20 World Cup at Lord's.
He switched allegiance in August 2009 and was part of the Australian squad that made it to the finals of the 2010 T20 World Cup in West Indies. Nannes ended up as the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 14 scalps in seven matches.
#8 David Wiese (2016 - South Africa, 2021, 2022 - Namibia)
The all-rounder played for South Africa and Namibia in different editions of the T20 World Cup. David Wiese represented the Proteas in the 2016 edition of the T20 World Cup, playing three matches, claiming one wicket and scoring 28 runs as a lower-order batter.
He signed a Kolpak deal in 2017 which seemingly ended his international career. But he made a comeback through the Namibia team and played the 2021 and 2022 editions of the T20 World Cup for the nation.
He played a massive role in Namibia qualifying for the Super 12s stage in the 2021 edition in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Who might be the next player to represent two countries in a World Cup in the future? Let us know what you think.
