Such has been the exodus of young talent from one country to another that there are several cricketers who have represented their home country in the Under-19 World Cup and then migrated and made their senior debuts for another country.
With the emergence of the Kolpak rule and migration to New Zealand on the rise, it is no surprise that younger players opt for better opportunities.
Several other reasons have also resulted in players switching from one country to another, with England and New Zealand the favoured teams for such movements by players.
Here is a look at a combined XI of players who played Under-19 cricket for a country and then represented another country in the senior team.
#1 Craig Kieswetter
The England wicketkeeper represented South Africa, his home country in the 2006 Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka and also won a Man of the Match award in one of the matches.
However, a lack of progress in franchise cricket made him move to England in search of better opportunities.
He made his senior debut for England in 2010 and went on to play 71 matches for his adopted country. A freak eye injury while batting forced him to retire at the age of 27, in 2015.
#2 Keaton Jennings
Son of former South African cricketer and coach, Ray Jennings, Keaton Jennings was South Africa's under-19 skipper in 2011, opening the batting with Quinton de Kock.
But considering the complex political scenario in South Africa due to the emergence of transformation targets, Jennings decided to move to England. He already had a British passport since his mother was English.
In November 2016, he was named in England's Test squad in India as a replacement for Haseeb Hameed and went on to score a fine century on debut against India in Mumbai.
#3 Jonathan Trott
Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Trott played for South Africa in under-15 and under-19 cricket. His family is from England and post his marriage to Abi Dollery from Warwickshire, he settled in England.
He had already made his Warwickshire debut in 2002 and made his T20 debut for England in 2007 before begin called up to the Ashes squad in 2009. He promptly made a century on debut at The Oval.
Stress and anxiety issues during the 2013 Ashes in Australia saw Trott return to England. Though he figured briefly in 2014-15, a recurrence of the issue saw him retire in May 2015.
#4 Grant Elliott
Grant Elliott was born in South Africa and played for Gauteng from 1996-97 and like many South Africans, he sought pastures anew after being frustrated with the quota system in South African cricket. Elliott migrated to New Zealand in 2001 on the advice of Ken Rutherford.
He, however, represented South Africa A in 2007, before he became eligible for New Zealand. His call-up to the national team came in 2008 and he made a maiden ODI ton in 2009 in just his 3rd match.
Elliott will be remembered more for his crucial knock where he scored a six off Dale Steyn in the 2015 World Cup semi-final to help New Zealand advance to their first ever finals.
#5 Gary Ballance
Ballance was born in Zimbabwe in 1989 and played under-19 cricket, including a World Cup appearance for the colts side in 2006 in Sri Lanka. He earned an opportunity with Derbyshire later that year and moved to Yorkshire.
On the back of some terrific performances for Yorkshire and England Lions, Ballance was picked in the national team and made his debut in 2013. He has represented England in many matches at Test and ODI level since then.
#6 Colin de Grandhomme
The Kiwi all-rounder is a Zimbabwean by birth and represented the nation in the 2004 Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh. His father was also a cricketer who represented the nation prior to it attaining Test status.
De Grandhomme moved to Auckland in 2006 and his national call-up came six years later in 2012, when he played for New Zealand in a T20 against his homeland. In November 2016, de Grandhomme debuted in Tests for New Zealand and took 6/41 on debut.
A hard-hitting all-rounder, de Grandhomme is most famous for his ability to clear the ropes with the willow.
#7 Peter Borren
The Netherlands cricket captain, Peter Borren, was born in New Zealand and represented his native country in the Under-19 World Cup in 2002. His under 19 teammates included the likes of Ross Taylor and Jesse Ryder.
A seam-bowling all-rounder, Borren made his Netherlands debut in 2006 against Lanka in an ODI. He had by then represented the Netherlands A team and under-23 sides.
Important landmarks in his career include T20I wins over England in the World Cup in 2009 and 2014. He has played 58 ODIs and 37 T20I for Netherlands to date.
#8 Tim Murtagh
Born and raised in London, Murtagh is a right arm fast bowler who represented England in the 2000 Under-19 World Cup. He took 16 wickets in three Youth Tests and also 12 in List A cricket for England Under-19s.
Murtagh has played county cricket for Surrey and Middlesex, opening the bowling with Steven Finn on many occasions. He applied for Irish citizenship in 2011 after being influenced by Sussex batsman, Ed Joyce. He made his Ireland debut in 2012 and played 18 ODIs and 14 T20I.
He was initially picked to the Ireland squad for the 2015 World Cup but a foot injury prevented him from participating in the tournament, and he retired from T20s in 2015.
#9 Andrew Caddick
Born in Christchurch, the 6ft 5in fast bowler appeared for the New Zealand youth team in 1988. Caddick, who modelled his action on the great Kiwi seamer, Richard Hadlee, played in the McDonald's Bicentennial Youth World Cup after which he never appeared for New Zealand.
Frustrated at the lack of opportunities, the fast bowler moved to England in 1988-89 where he played for Middlesex and Somerset second XIs. His championship debut came in 1992 and he soon represented the country in 1993.
He played 62 Tests and 54 ODIs for England forming a lethal opening bowling combination with Darren Gough. He has 303 wickets in International Cricket across formats.
#10 Imran Tahir
Tahir is a Pakistani-born South African cricketer who represented his homeland in youth cricket in late-90s. He also played for Pakistan A but failed to win an international cap. His marriage to South African, Sumayya Dildar, turned out to be the breakthrough of his career.
Having served the four-year residence requirement in 2009, Tahir qualified to play for Proteas on Jan 1st, 2011 and became an instant selection. He was picked in the 2011 World Cup squad and took 4/41 on debut against the Windies. He went on to play in all formats for South Africa and was named in the ODI team of the year in 2015 by ICC.
#11 Alan Mullally
Born and brought up in Western Australia, Mullally played for Australia Under-19s in 1987-88 and also made his first-class debut for Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield final in the same year. He had made his Hampshire debut in 1988 and returned in 1990 to county cricket, joining Leicestershire.
70 first class wickets in 1996 saw him picked in the England team in June that year to play India. He took a five-wicket haul in the game and played all Tests that summer and made his ODI debut later in the same year.
Mullally represented England in 19 Tests and 50 ODIs taking a total of 121 wickets across formats. He even became the no. 1 ranked ODI bowler for a period of time, representing England in the 1999 World Cup.
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