Be it any cricketer; his ultimate aim is to represent the national side in the future. However, not all manage to do so, especially in the country they were born.
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Some even migrate to other countries for various reasons, while some even manage to break into the migrated nation’s side. In the same light, we look at six South African cricketers, who have played for other countries.
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Basil D’Oliveira: A legendary cricketer who has a trophy to his name, played between England and South Africa. The all-rounder was born in Cape Province of Cape Town before broadcaster John Arlott decided to take him to England. He played 44 Tests and scored 2,484 runs at an average 40.1, besides also claiming 47 wickets. He also went on to have a prolific career for Worcestershire, scoring 19,490 First-Class runs at a similar average like Tests.
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Andy Flower: The wicketkeeper-batsman had a legendary career for Zimbabwe, scoring over 11,000 international runs. However, hardly anyone remembers that he happens to be a South African, born in Cape Province. Although he never helped Zimbabwe win any major title, he allowed the side to earn a significant international cricket recognition. Imagine how impactful had he been if he ever played for Proteas.
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Andrew Strauss: A legendary player for England, the former skipper, too, has South African roots, as he was born in Transvaal Province of Johannesburg. After he moved to England at the age of six, he represented England in over 200 international matches across formats and scored over 11,000 international runs. He also had a legendary captaincy tenure with the side, helping it win The Ashes in Australia.
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Jason Roy: Another Englishman from South Africa, as the prolific opener, Jason Roy was born in Durban. However, he moved to England at the age of 10 and began his cricketing career with Surrey. Having made his debut for England in 2014, he has been regarded as one of the finest openers, especially in limited-overs.
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Kevin Pietersen: The former English swashbuckling batsman was one of the sport’s prolific hitters, famous for his scientific switch-hit. However, before he moved to England in 2001 and made a name for himself, he began his career in his South African birthplace, of Pietermaritzburg. Before being roped in by Nottinghamshire, he started his First-Class career with Natal, upon Clive Rice’s advise. Following the immense success, he decided to stick to England, as he represented the side in over 250 games across formats, scoring around 14,000 international runs.
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Marnus Labuschagne: Last but not least, if you are shocked, we can’t really help it. Labuschagne has been a sensation for Australia for the past couple of years. However, hardly anyone recalls that he happens to be a South African, born in the North West Province of Klerksdorp. He moved to Australia at the age of 10. He began his career with Queensland, while he has been doing great for Australia, having scored over 2,000 international runs in just over 20 games, while he has been highly impactful in Tests.
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