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
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.
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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
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
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.
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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
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
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 |
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