5 famous cricketers who changed their nationality and played international cricket

Across sports, it is not uncommon for players to change their nationality and represent another country. Cricket is no exception to that and there were quite a few instances in the sport where players moved from one country to another to play international cricket.

Lack of opportunities to play the game was the main reason in the past behind players switching allegiance between countries. While some players moved from their country of birth to another, others came back to play for their native country.

Abdul Hafeez Kardar is one of the very few players who have played for both India and Pakistan in Tests and Kepler Wessels became the first cricketer to have played One Day International cricket for two countries, Australia and South Africa.

Without much ado, let's take a look at the five famous cricketers who changed their nationality and played international cricket.

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#1 Kevin Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen in action for England

One of the most exciting cricketers to have played the game, the swashbuckling batsman was phenomenal for England throughout his playing days. Kevin Pietersen has played more than 100 Tests and One Day Internationals for England, and scored more than 13500 runs.

Things could have been different in his career, if not for the quota system in South Africa. He was left of the Natal side early in his playing days and he decided that the time had come for him to move out of South Africa. Pietersen moved to England, his mother’s place of birth, and played well for Nottinghamshire and Hampshire.

He became an international cricketer for England in 2005 and went on to play for more than 10 years for the national team.

In an exclusive extract from his new book Crossing The Boundary, Pietersen said that he was left out the Natal side in 2000 because of the prevalent quota policy, which eventually led him to seek his career in England.

#2 Imran Tahir

Imran Tahir played for Pakistan in the junior level

Imran Tahir is arguably one of the best limited-over spinners to have played for South Africa. The Pakistan-born leg-spinner has played for the Pakistan U-19 team and then went onto play for the Pakistan A side.

He struggled to establish himself as a leg-spinner in Pakistan and then moved to South Africa. He married a South African woman and became eligible to play for South Africa in 2011 when he met his residency requirement.

He has played 20 Tests, 85 One Day Internationals and 36 T20Is, and has picked up more than 250 wickets. He is the only spinner to take more than 100 ODI wickets for South Africa and the ninth highest wicket-taker for South Africa in ODIs.

#3 Jonathan Trott

Trott had a great England career

Born in Cape Town, Jonathan Trott has represented South Africa at the U-15 and U-19 level. He moved to England in 2003 and decided to use his British passport to play county cricket for Warwickshire.

He was selected to play for England in 2007 and went onto a have a great international career in England. He played 52 Tests and 68 One Day Internationals for England, and scored more than 6500 international runs.

The three-time Ashes winner was the Wisden and ICC Cricketer of the Year for 2011. After a hugely successful international career for the England national team, Jonathan Trott finally hung up his boots in 2015.

#4 Luke Ronchi

Ronchi played international cricket for New Zealand and Australia

He was one of those rare players who has played international cricket for two countries and the only player to have played for both Australia and New Zealand. Born in New Zealand, Luke Ronchi moved to Australia when he was young.

Ronchi played only four One Day Internationals and three Twenty20Is for Australia since his debut in 2008. He struggled for his place in the national team and was never a regular in the side.

He then moved to New Zealand in 2012 to enhance his chances of international cricket. He made his international debut for New Zealand in 2013 and played a huge role in their run to the 2015 World Cup finals.

A destructive batsman and an excellent wicketkeeper, Ronchi has played 85 ODIs and 33 T20Is in his career. He finally retired from international cricket in 2017.

#5 Andrew Symonds

Symonds and Vettori

Born in Birmingham, Andrew Symonds was adopted by an English couple and then moved to Australia when he was young. The aggressive middle-order batsman made his first-class debut for Queensland during the 94/95 season.

Since he also held a British passport, he was selected to play for the England A team in 1995. However, he rejected the opportunity to play for his country of birth and wanted to play for Australia.

He then made his debut for Australia in 2003 and went on to play 198 One Day Internationals, 26 Tests, and 14 T20Is. Symonds has scored more than 6500 runs for Australia and played a stellar role for the national team in their 2003 World Cup triumph.