Around 114 foreign-born players have played for England in cricket, mainly because of England’s eligibility rules, which allow players to qualify to play for England.
The key ECB criteria to qualify for England include:
- Being a British citizen
- Either born in England/Wales, or having resided in England/Wales for at least three years (210 days per year, April to March)
- Not having played for another full ICC member country’s international or domestic professional cricket in the last three years
For England, South Africa has produced 20 players, while India has contributed 17 players. Apart from them, multiple foreign-born players have played for England, and complete information is given below:
Foreign Players Who Represented England
England welcomes cricketers from around the world, and it is completely evident from this fact that 114 foreign players have gotten a chance to play for England. The Republic of Ireland produced the only successful captain of England in the ICC ODI World Cup.
| Country of Birth | Number of Players | Players |
|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 20 | Basil D’Oliviera, Tony Greig, Ian Greig, Allan Lamb, Chris Smith, Robin Smith, Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, Jonathan Trott, Craig Kieswetter, Jade Dernbach, Stuart Meaker, Nick Compton, Michael Lumb, Jason Roy, Keaton Jennings, Tom Curran, Brydon Carse, John Turner |
| India | 17 | K.S. Ranjitsinhji, Teddy Wynyard, Richard Young, Neville Tufnell, Douglas Jardine, Duleepsinhji, Nawab of Pataudi Sr., Errol Holmes, Norman Mitchell-Innes, George Emmett, Colin Cowdrey, John Jameson, Bob Woolmer, Robin Jackman, Nasser Hussain, Vikram Solanki, Min Patel |
| Wales | 16 | Johnnie Clay, Robert Croft, Jeff Jones, Tony Lewis, Austin Matthews, Hugh Morris, Gilbert Parkhouse, Pat Pocock, Greg Thomas, Maurice Turnbull, Cyril Walters, Steve Watkin, Allan Watkins, Simon Jones, Alan Jones, Phil Salt |
| Australia | 10 | Billy Murdoch, John Ferris, Sammy Woods, Albert Trott, Gubby Allen, Adam Hollioake, Ben Hollioake, Jason Gallian, Tim Ambrose, Sam Robson |
| Scotland | 9 | Mike Denness, Gavin Hamilton, Alec Kennedy, David Larter, Gregor MacGregor, Ian Peebles, Eric Russell, Dougie Brown, Peter Such |
| Republic of Ireland | 5 | Leland Hone, Sir Tim O’Brien, Frederick Fane, Ed Joyce, Eoin Morgan |
| Barbados | 5 | Roland Butcher, Gladstone Small, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell |
| Northern Ireland | 3 | Joseph McMaster, Martin McCague, Boyd Rankin |
| Zimbabwe | 3 | Graeme Hick, Paul Parker, Gary Ballance |
| Germany | 2 | Donald Carr, Paul Terry |
| Guyana | 2 | Chris Lewis, Monte Lynch |
| Jamaica | 2 | Norman Cowans, Devon Malcolm |
| Kenya | 2 | Derek Pringle, Jamie Dalrymple |
| New Zealand | 2 | Andy Caddick, Ben Stokes |
| Pakistan | 2 | Usman Afzaal, Owais Shah |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 2 | Lord Harris, Pelham Warner |
| St Vincent and the Grenadines | 2 | Wilf Slack, Neil Williams |
| Zambia | 2 | Phil Edmonds, Neal Radford |
| Hong Kong | 2 | Dermot Reeve, Sam Hain |
| Denmark | 1 | Amjad Khan |
| Dominica | 1 | Phillip DeFreitas |
| Italy | 1 | Ted Dexter |
| Papua New Guinea | 1 | Geraint Jones |
| Peru | 1 | Freddie Brown |
| St Kitts and Nevis | 1 | Joey Benjamin |
South Africa: 20 Players
South Africa has provided 20 cricketers to England, the most by any country. Some of the famous players in this group include Kevin Pietersen, who scored 13,779 international runs for England, Jonathan Trott, and Andrew Strauss. Other South African-born players like Allan Lamb, Tom Curran, Jason Roy, and Matt Prior were also very successful for England.
India: 17 Players
India has been another country that has produced a significant number of English cricketers. In cricket, this English nation has been represented by 17 Indian players. One of the earliest was K.S. Ranjitsinji, who played for England in the late 1800s. Naseer Hussain, who captained England in the early 2000s, was also born in India.
Other notable players from India include Vikram Solanki and Min Patel. The relationship between England and India in cricket goes back many years, with Indian players continuing to contribute to English cricket today.
Wales: 16 Players
Although Wales is part of the United Kingdom, it has its own proud cricketing history. Sixteen players born in Wales have gone on to play for England. Some of the most famous names include Robert Croft, Simon Jones, and Tony Lewis. Croft was a reliable spinner and lower-order batsman, while Simon Jones was a key fast bowler in England’s legendary 2005 Ashes win. Tony Lewis, who later became the chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), also captained England in the 1970s.
Australia: 10 Players
Even though England and Australia are rivals on the cricket field, 10 Australian-born players have represented England. Ben Hollioake and his brother, Adam Hollioake, were both all-rounders for England. Sam Robson, who was born in Australia, also played for England as a batter. These players, though originally from Australia, chose to play for England after moving there.
Scotland: 9 Players
Scotland has produced nine players who represented England. One of the best-known is Mike Denness, who captained England in the 1970s. Other notable players are Alan Peebles, Eric Russell, and Dougie Brown, an all-rounder who played for both England and Scotland during his career. Gavin Hamilton also represented England before later playing for Scotland when they became an independent cricketing nation.
Other countries have also produced talented cricketers who played for England. The Caribbean islands, particularly Barbados, have produced famous cricketers such as Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, and England’s youngest captain, Jacob Bethal. Archer, in particular, played a crucial role in England’s 2019 World Cup win with his fast bowling.
Zimbabwe has also had a few players who represented England, such as Graeme Hick and Gary Ballance, both of whom were solid batsmen.
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Conclusion: 114 Outsiders Served England Cricket
England’s cricket team has a total of 114 players born outside its borders, showing how cricket crosses borders and how players from all over the world can come together to create one strong, united side.
Over the years, cricketers from places like South Africa, India, Wales, Australia, and many other nations have worn the England jersey with pride. Their different backgrounds and styles have added great value to the team, helping it grow stronger and more successful.
