The Ashes: 5 England-born cricketers who played for Australia and vice-versa

Spanning more than 135 years, the Ashes is one of the oldest rivalries in top-level sport. Although they may not have long-standing political as well as geographical animosity like India and Pakistan, England and Australia do not give an inch to each other on the cricket field. With the 2017/18 Magellan Ashes set to add yet another chapter to the fabled history, we are celebrating the Anglo-Australian face-off with extensive and exclusive segments surrounding the intricacies of the traditional rivalry.

This particular segment hones in on five high-profile players who were either born in England but played for Australia or born in Australia and played for England in the Ashes series. The famous cricketers, who shifted allegiance in the age-old rivalry, have been arranged in reverse chronological order of their respective maiden appearances in Test cricket.

Extra Cover: Top 5 cricketers who played for two countries

Considering the fact that his brief international career began and ended before the Ashes legend was born in 1882/83, the exalted Charles Bannerman does not enter into the discussion even though the England-born batsman represented Australia.

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#5 Andrew Symonds (Australia)

Andrew Symonds played 26 Tests with reasonable success in his international career

Despite being an established member of the domineering Australian ODI outfit, Andrew Symonds was more than five years into his white-ball career before finally receiving the coveted Baggy Green in 2004. In sharp contrast to his whopping 212 matches across both limited-overs formats, the utility player managed only 26 appearances at Test level. Three of those came in the 2006/07 Ashes series during which Australia mercilessly reclaimed the urn by pounding England 5-0. The dynamic right-hander contributed with a sublime 156 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground in the Boxing Day Test.

Not many would know that Symonds could have opted to play for England. Born in Birmingham to parents of Caribbean and Scandinavian heritage, he was only three months old when an Australian couple adopted him and moved to Queensland. His adoptive father, Ken, an ardent supporter of cricket, worked earnestly with him during his formative years. From his childhood, he had set his sights on donning the Baggy Green.

Long before he earned his maiden call-up to the Australian team for an ODI series in Pakistan, an opportunity arose from the land of his birth. During his stint with Gloucestershire, his blistering hitting turned heads in the County circuit. But Symonds refused to relent and backed himself to play for Australia. Although his prowess was mostly restricted to the limited-overs arena, he still managed to end his Test career with a respectable average of 40.61.

Place of Birth

Birmingham, Warwickshire (England) - June 9, 1975

Ashes Series

2006/07 in Australia

#4 Adam/Ben Hollioake (England)

The Hollioake brothers played together in the 1997 Nottingham Test

As is often said, cricket runs in the family. Adam Hollioake and his younger brother Ben created history in 1997 by recording the rare feat of brothers making their Test debuts in the same match. Their accomplishment was embossed by the fact that they arrived together at the highest level of the game in an Ashes clash of all contests. While Adam went on to play three more Tests, Ben got the opportunity to represent England for only one more occasion before succumbing to a tragic car crash in March 2002 at Perth.

The Hollioake brothers were born in Melbourne to an Australian engineer and his Indonesian wife. Even though his father had played grade cricket for quite a few local clubs, Adam showed an early inclination towards Australian Rules Football which was much more deep-rooted in the fabric of the mining town of Ballarat. After learning the intricacies of cricket in Hong Kong when his father was stationed there for a brief period of time, Adam moved to England for his higher education.

Ben, who had shown enormous promise in Sydney's age-group cricket, joined his brother in relocating to Old Blighty. When the two all-rounders batted together during their debut Test at Trent Bridge, their father must have been torn between supporting his sons and cheering for his country. Eventually, he did not have to worry much as Australia cruised to a 264-run victory even as the Hollioakes made decent contributions with both bat and ball for England.

Place of Birth

Melbourne, Victoria (Australia)

Adam Hollioake - September 5, 1971

Ben Hollioake - November 11, 1977

Ashes Series

Both Adam and Ben - 1997 in England

#3 Sir Gubby Allen (England)

Gubby Allen was England's second highest wicket-taker during the infamous 'Bodyline' series

Unlike in the modern game, cricketers of yore often had to work off the field to shore up their finances. Before cricket became a fully professional sport, Sir George 'Gubby' Allen was one of the prominent amateurs who worked in the Stock Exchange to go alongside his career on the field.

The versatile cricketer, who often found ways to contribute in all departments of the game, carved a niche for himself in the England set-up even though the Second World War ate into a large chunk of his peak years. Aside from bowling searing out-swingers at scorching pace, he was a resolute lower-order batsman as well as a safe catcher.

Having led England at the age of 45 years and 245 days, Allen remains the second oldest Test captain in the illustrious history of the format. In all, he was captain in 11 out his 25 Test appearances. Five of those came against the land of his birth. He was born in Sydney in a family of eminent lawyers. In fact, his uncle Reginald had once represented Australia in an Ashes contest. Sir Gubby could have joined him were it not for his family's relocation to England when he was just six years old.

His mettle was truly put to the test during the 1932/33 Ashes series when skipper Douglas Jardine asked him to be party to the infamous 'Bodyline' tactic aimed at curbing Sir Donald Bradman's astonishingly productive output. Since the fast bowler remained firm on not breaching the spirit of the game, Jardine had to relent. Nonetheless, Allen ended as the third highest wicket-taker in the series (only behind Harold Larwood and Bill O'Reilly) to propel England to a controversial 4-1 triumph on Australian soil.

Place of Birth

Sydney, New South Wales (Australia) - July 31, 1902

Ashes Series

1930 in England

1932/33 in Australia

1934 in England

1936/37 in Australia

#2 Sammy Carter (Australia)

The Yorkshire-born Sammy Carter played for Australia at Headingley on two different occasions

Hailing from the proud County of Yorkshire which would go on to contribute numerous great players to England, Sammy Carter did the unthinkable not once but twice. The Halifax-born cricketer turned out for traditional rivals Australia at the famous Headingley Cricket Ground during the 1909 as well as 1921 Ashes series. Overall, he played 28 Tests in a career interrupted by the Great War and established himself as a renowned wicket-keeper during the early years of Australia's fabled history.

Extra Cover: Instances of two wicket-keepers making their debut in the same match

Some historians acknowledge him as the first gloveman to sit on his haunches rather than the then prevailing trend of standing on one's toes before bending down as and when required. With the bat, he was tenacious if not spectacular. Upon beginning his Test career with three half-centuries from his first four matches, he could not quite live up to his batting potential apart from the occasional flashes of a distinctively styled scoop shot. However, Carter's skills behind the stumps continued to be top-class.

Place of Birth

Halifax, Yorkshire (England) - March 15, 1878

Ashes Series

1907/08 in Australia

1909 in England

1911/12 in Australia

1920/21 in Australia

1921 in England

#1 Billy Midwinter (England & Australia)

Billy Midwinter is one of only five players to have represented both England and Australia

In all, fourteen cricketers have played for two different teams at Test level. Of those, as many as five players have represented both England and Australia. Billy Midwinter began the dual-nationality trend in cricket by becoming a trailblazer of sorts. Born in St Briavels, he emigrated to Victoria and gained entry into the Australian team less than three years into his first-class career. After featuring in the 1877 Test series at home (depending on how one looks at the sense of the word), the seam all-rounder switched allegiance and turned out for England during the 1881/82 series Down Under.

By the time he traded teams once again, plenty had happened in the cricket world. Not least, England had suffered a shock defeat at The Oval which subsequently gave birth to the Ashes folklore. Not perturbed by the terse circumstances surrounding him in the game, Midwinter returned to play for Australia. Apart from the one-off success in Sydney, his bustling medium pace and handy lower-order batting could not prevent the Aussies from sliding to series defeats at the hands of England in 1884 and 1887.

Place of Birth

St Briavels, Gloucestershire (England) - June 19, 1851

Ashes Series

Playing for England

*1881/82 in Australia

Playing for Australia

*1877 in Australia

1883 in Australia

1884 in England

1887 in Australia

(*Note: The 1877 and 1881/82 series between Australia and England happened before the Ashes legend was born)