With the introduction of the IPL, world cricket has changed a lot. Players from two different countries that were once considered as staunch rivals now get to play in the same team and they often get to play against their teammates from their respective national sides. Despite this, playing for your country is the biggest thing and every young cricketer aspires to play for his/her country and represent the national side at the highest level. There is no bigger reward than playing for your own country donning the national uniform.
But, it’s not always that simple. Many people have to leave their country or homeland due to various reasons. Many young cricketers have to go through this due to their parents moving to another country. In such a condition, ambiguity regarding nationality arises. There have been many cricketers who’ve played for 2 different countries after encountering similar situations. We’ve compiled a list of 5 such cricketers, who went on to play for 2 different countries.
1. Billy MidWinter: The England born cricketer played in the first-ever International Test match after making his debut in 1877. England and Australia are arch-rivals in the game of cricket since ages. MidWinter played for both Australia and England and is the only cricketer to do so till date. He left his birthplace to play for Australia. However, he returned to England and was part of the English team touring Australia in 1882-83. MidWinter played 4 matches for England and 8 matches for Australia. He passed away on December 3, 1890, at an early age of 39 in Victoria.
2. Abdul Hafeez Kardar: Everyone knows that India and Pakistan were one country before the region’s independence in 1947 that was followed by the partition of India into two countries. Kardar was one of the millions, whose fate was decided by the partition. Also known as the Father of Pakistan Cricket, Kardar played for Indian before its independence in 1947. However, he moved to Pakistan to play for the Islamic nation in 1952. He was one of the only 3 cricketers to have played for both India and Pakistan; the other two being Gul Mohammad and Amir Elahi.
3. Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi: Iftikhar Ali Khan was born into the family of the Nawabs of Pataudi in Delhi. India was a British colony before independence and Iftikhar was chosen on the English side for the 1932-33 Ashes series as he completed his education in England. In 1946, Iftikhar chose to play for India in the English tour. He also captained the Indian side and received a lot of criticism for his stint as a captain. He was named the Indian Cricketer of the year in 1946. His son, Mansoor Ali Khan also went on to play for India and captain the side as well. They were the only father-son pair to be captaining India.
4. Eoin Morgan: The most familiar cricket personality for today’s generation in the list is England Cricket team captain and left-handed batsman Eoin Morgan. Morgan started his career in Ireland and played 23 matches for Ireland from 2006 to 2009. In search of better opportunities and exposure, he shifted to England and got selected on the English side. He has played over 200 matches for England including 16 Tests and averages nearly 40 in the ODIs. The English captain is the only player to have scored centuries for two different countries. Morgan is an explosive middle-order batsman who has won his side many matches. He plays for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.
5. Dirk Nannes: The latest addition to the list in lethal pacer Dirk Nannes who shot to fame after his impressive stint with Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. Nannes has played for both Netherlands and Australia and is the last player to have played for two different countries. A T-20 specialist bowler, Nannes has played 2 matches for Netherlands and 15 matches for Australia. Nannes struggled with a persistent shoulder injury that he sustained during a club level match in England and his career was short-lived. Despite his short career, the fast bowler impressed the critics with his accuracy and consistency.
