5 cricketers who share their names with cities

There have been a lot of players with unusual names in the history of cricket. While some share names with different professions, there are others who have names or surnames matching with edible items. One has also come across players named after objects of daily use.

Among other things, there have also been cricketers who share their names with popular cities from around the world. Some of them apparently have no connect whatsoever with the city they have been named after or even the country it is located in.

Here are 5 cricketers who share their names with cities:

1. Hamilton Masakadza (Zimbabwe)

Hamilton Masakadza is a Zimbabwean cricketer who has represented his country in 29 Tests and 168 ODIs and is one of the mainstays of their present batting line-up. Masakadza shares his name with the city of Hamilton, which is located in New Zealand. Incidentally, there is another city with the same name in the Canadian state of Ontario.

One of the 32-year old's brothers who also plays in the national side, Wellington Masakadza, also shares his name with another city in New Zealand. Shingirai is the only one among the Masakadza brothers who has not been named after a city.

2. Bhuvneshwar Kumar (India)

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has enjoyed mixed success in his career

Indian medium-pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has played for the national team across all formats and was recently re-included in the Test squad. Kumar has also had a successful time in the IPL and recently won the tournament with the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The 26-year old shares his name with the Indian city of Bhubaneswar, the only slight difference being in the way both are spelt. Bhubaneswar is the capital city of the Indian state of Odisha and is known for being a place of religious and historical interest.

Kumar, though, was born in Meerut and has no known connection with the city that he shares his name with.

3. Sydney Barnes (England)

Sydney Barnes is a legendary English cricketer

Sydney Barnes is among the earliest bowling greats in world cricket and enjoyed a short yet highly successful career which lasted just 27 Tests. The England bowler claimed a staggering 189 wickets at an average of a little over 16 with 24 five-wicket hauls.

Although there are a number of cricketers who have been named after the Australian city of Sydney, Barnes is certainly among the most prolific of them all. Sydney is the capital city of the state of New South Wales and is known to be the most populous city in Australia.

4. Charles Coventry (Zimbabwe)

Charles Coventry once held the record for the highest ODI score

Charles Coventry is a cricketer who has played for Zimbabwe in 2 Tests and 37 ODIs. A batsman by trade, the 33-year old's biggest claim to fame is his top score of 194 not out. It was the highest in ODI cricket for a while before Sachin Tendulkar scored the first ever double century in the format.

The Zimbabwean batsman's surname matches with a prominent city in England named Coventry. Located in the West Midlands region, it is the 9th largest city in the country. Charles Coventry, however, is not related in any way with the English city apart from his name.

5. Joel Paris (Australia)

Joel Paris shares his name with one of the most famous cities in the world

Young Australian pacer Joel Paris made his ODI debut in a series against India in January this year. The 23-year old does not have too much domestic cricket behind him but his impressive performances in the few matches that he played earned him a spot in the national team.

Joel Paris shares his surname with one of the most popular cities in the world. Paris is located in France and is the capital city of the European nation. The culturally rich city is also often referred to as the 'fashion capital of the world'.

It is highly unlikely, though, that the budding cricketer has any other connection with Paris.