Everyone knows that cricket was born in England. Moreover, at its peak, the British Empire ruled about 25% of the earth’s surface. Naturally, the game spread with the empire. With time, England produced numerous legends of the game. But at the same time, many players born in other corners of the world aspired to play in the country. As of 10 January 2022, 111 players born outside England have represented the country. Let us have a look at the Top 10 England Players born outside England-
1. Ben Stokes (New Zealand)
Benjamin Stokes indeed has been one of the best all-rounders for England. He is famous for his match-winning knocks in the 3rd Ashes Test (Headingley, 2019) and the final of the 2019 ICC World Cup. He was born in 1991 in Christchurch in New Zealand. His father was a rugby union player for New Zealand. When he was 12, his family moved to England after his father was appointed as a coach of a rugby club in Workington.
2. Kevin Pietersen (South Africa)
Kevin Pietersen was born in 1980 in Pietermaritzburg in South Africa. He started playing in the South African domestic cricket circuit. He played his maiden first-class game for Natal’s B. Interestingly; he started as an off-spinner and a lower-order pinch-hitter. He moved to England after criticizing South Africa’s racial quota system, which he thought hindered his development in cricket.
3. Andrew Strauss (South Africa)
Andrew Strauss has captained the English team in all formats and has won 51 out of 115 matches as a skipper. Unbeknown to many people, he was born in Johannesburg in South Africa. He moved to England as a 6-years-old. It was in England that he began taking cricket seriously.
4. Eoin Morgan (Ireland)
A highlight of Eoin Joseph Gerard Morgan’s career came in an ICC World Cup 2019 match against Afghanistan when he smashed a humongous 71-ball-148, with the help of 14 fours and world-record 17 sixes. It is not a lesser-known fact that he was born in Dublin in Ireland. Before coming to England, he represented Ireland in the U19 World Cups in 2004 and 2006. He also played 23 ODIs for the senior Irish side before shifting his loyalty to England. He led the English team to their first World Cup title in 2019.
5. Jofra Archer (Barbados)
Jofra Chioke Archer is a premier fast-bowler on the English side. He was born in Bridgetown in Barbados in 1995. He has also represented West Indies U19 in three matches. He was eligible to play for England since his father was English. He made his England debut against Pakistan in 2019 and has since become a go-to bowler for captain Eoin Morgan.
6. Nasser Hussain (India)
Nasser Hussain was born in the Indian city of Madras (now Chennai) in 1968. His father and two brothers have also played competitive cricket. He signed up to Essex in 1987. Starting as a leg-spinner, he slowly developed into a top-order batter. He made his international debut against Pakistan in the 1st Semi-Final of the MRF World Series in Nagpur in 1989.
7. Chris Jordan (Barbados)
Christopher James Jordan made his England debut in an ODI against Australia in 2013. In the match, he took the big wickets of Phil Hughes, Michael Clarke, and James Faulkner to kick off his international career. Since his maternal grandparents were British, this allowed him to exploit the sports scholarship he got to complete his formal education in England. He remained in England and, the rest is history.
8. Jason Roy (South Africa)
Jason Roy is one of the 17 South Africa-born players to have represented England onan international platform. An explosive opening batter, he moved to England from his birthplace Durban when he was 10. He started playing first-class cricket for Surrey and made his English debut in a T20I against India at Birmingham in 2014. He was the first English batter to score a half-century in three consecutive T20I innings. For the terror he inflicts in opposition, he is a regular member of the white-ball setup of England.
9. Tom Curran (South Africa)
Thomas Kevin Curran is yet another English player to have taken birth in South Africa. Although he was brought up in Zimbabwe, he was born in Cape Town in 1995 to a former Zimbabwean cricketer Kevin Curran. He is the cousin of all-rounder Sam Curran. He was a part of the English side, which won its maiden ICC World Cup in 2019. His game fetched him a transfer to Wellington College in England, where he stayed ever since.
10. Owais Shah (Pakistan)
Owais Alam Shah was a Karachi-born right-handed batter who played international cricket for England. His unbeaten 107-run knock against India at The Oval is his best batting figure in the international circuit. He played for England in 94 international matches and scored 2450 runs in all formats. Although he hasn’t announced his retirement yet, he played his last international game against Australia at Centurion in 2009.
