6 countries which contributed the most number of cricketers to the England national team

Rarely does it happen that players go on to play for a nation which isn’t their country of birth. England, however, have had several players who were born in some other country.

Dearth of talent in English cricket and abundance of potential in other nations are a couple of elements that come to one’s mind when asked about the reasons behind England playing a lot of cricketers who aren’t born in the nation.

As we move ahead, we take you through six of the biggest contributors of cricketers to the English national team..

---

#6 New Zealand

The Kiwis have made their fair share of contributions to English cricket with two big names from New Zealand who went on to play for England. Ben Stokes has proved to be an integral part of the England team with his handy medium pace and a swashbuckling approach to batting in every format of the game.

The Christchurch-born cricketer has turned out to be a reliable player for England as he has gained in experience over the years. His recent hundred against Australia in the Champions Trophy gave a glimpse of his class and calibre. Fast bowler Andy Caddick is another New Zealand born cricketer who had represented England in the International circuit.

Players

Ben Stokes

Andy Caddick

#5 Ireland

Eoin Morgan

England’s United Kingdom cricketing counterpart, Ireland, have contributed exemplary talents to its neighbours with the passage of time. During the 50-over World Cup in 2007 and 2011, staged in West Indies and India respectively, Ireland displayed their expertise and ability on the International stage.

Extra cover: The Bairstow and Buttler debate for the English cricket team

Eoin Morgan, currently one of England’s most dynamic middle order batsmen, was captain of the Irish side. Ireland also lost left-handed batsman Ed Joyce and right-arm quick bowler Boyd Rankin to the English national team, but the duo returned to represent the Irish team.

Players	Players
Frederick Fane	Eoin Morgan
Leland Hone	Tim O’Brien
Martin McCague	Boyd Rankin
Joseph McMaster	Ed Joyce

#4 Australia

Adam Hollioake

Australia have also exported talents to England for the game of cricket and have contributed to English cricket in a big way. While they have been impact players for England, the fact that Australia missed out on major players can’t be dismissed.

England’s most impactful Australian-born player was Adam Hollioake, who was equally handy with both ball and the willow. Ben Hollioake, who passed away in a car accident in 2002, also represented England in international cricket. Here’s a list of players who was born in Australia, but played for England.

Players	Players
Billy Murdoch	Adam Hollioake
John Ferris	Ben Hollioake
Sammy Woods	Jason Gallian
Albert Trott	Tim Ambrose
Sir Gubby Allen

#3 South Africa

Kevin Pietersen had a successful yet controversial stint with the English cricket team

South Africa have been a fairly big contributor to English cricket over the years. Several South African born cricketers went on to play for England in all three formats of the game- Tests, ODIs and T20Is. Among those, the likes of Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Strauss were the most prominent ones to have played the game.

Extra cover: 5 infamous coach-captain relationships that fell apart

Jonathan Trott was another batsman from the African nation, who represented England in International cricket. Jason Roy, another South African-born cricketer, is presently England’s first-choice opener in the limited overs format. Here’s a detailed list of the South African-born English players.

Players	Players
Basil D’Oliviera	Andrew Strauss
Tony Greig	Kevin Pietersen
Ian Greig	Matt Prior
Allan Lamb	Jonathan Trott
Chris Smith	Keaton Jennings
Robin Smith

#2 Caribbean Islands

Chris Jordan has done well for England

West Indies have contributed significantly to English cricket. They have produced some special talents who have made their mark in International cricket. Christopher Jordan is the latest inclusion from West Indies in the England team.

Others who represented England are the likes of Chris Lewis, Devon Malcom, Phillip DeFreitas and Neil Williams. West Indies have gifted World cricket with several outrageous talents and it won’t be surprising if some more of them go on to play for England in the future.

Players	Players
Lord Harris	Phillip DeFreitas
Pelham Warner	Devon Malcolm
Roland Butcher	Chris Lewis
Norman Cowans	Neil Williams
Wilf Slack	Joseph Benjamin
Gladstone Small	Chris Jordan

#1 India

Nasser Hussain in action

India have been the biggest contributors to English cricket with as many as 17 Indian-born players representing England across all formats of the game. Legends of the game like Nasser Hussain, Douglas Jardine played for England. Iconic cricketers like Bob Woolmer, Robin Jackman and Colin Cowdrey also represented England in International cricket.

Hussain, Jackman also went on to become commentators after they bid adieu to International cricket. Here’s a complete list of Indian-born English cricketers.

Players	Players
K.S. Ranjitsinhji	George Emmett
Edward Wynyard	Colin Cowdrey
Richard Young	John Jameson
Neville Tufnell	Bob Woolmer
Douglas Jardine	Robin Jackman
K.S. Duleepsinhji	Nasser Hussain
Nawab of Pataudi, Sr	Minal Patel
Errol Holmes	Vikram Solanki
Norman Mitchell-Innes