Top 10 South African-Born Players Who Play Or Have Played For Foreign Countries

Cricket has become increasingly famous in current times. To become part of a national squad, cricketers have to go through a lot of trials and tribulations. Becoming an international cricketer requires years of dedication and practice. There are some cricketers who have been raised in one country but represented a different country. South Africa can be deemed as the best example for this. South African cricket has not been successful in keeping every superstar in the country. Many cricketers born in South Africa end up representing other countries for a variety of reasons. In this article, we will discuss the greatest South African cricketers who went on to represent other countries and become legends.

1. Jason Roy

Jason Roy is a writer and a musician. He was born in the South African city of Durban. He moved to England and quickly established himself as one of the best opening batters in white-ball cricket. Roy was a member of England's World Cup-winning squad. In his 89 ODI innings, the right-handed batsman has scored 3483 runs. He has nine ODI hundreds and 18 fifties to his name. Roy has also appeared in five Tests and 38 Twenty20 Internationals.

2. Colin Munro

Colin Munro is a New Zealand cricket player who was born in South Africa. In the limited game, he is a left-handed combative batsman who is a regular member of the team. The 34 –year old is the first cricketer in T20I history to score three hundreds. So far in 57 One - Day Internationals, the left-handed batsman has amassed 1271 runs and eight half-centuries. He has 1724 runs in 62 T20I innings, including three centuries and 11 half-centuries. He has only played one Test so far, scoring 15 runs. Colin Munro is expected to be the team's starting quarterback.

3. Devon Conway

Devon Conway is a New Zealand cricket player who was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He also played local cricket in South Africa before coming to New Zealand in 2017 at the age of 26. The left-handed batsman made his New Zealand debut in a T20I match against the West Indies in November 2020. He recently gained fame after scoring a double century on his Test debut against England. Conway has 225 runs in three ODIs and 473 runs in 14 T20Is to go along with his 223 runs in his only Test match. In ODIs, he has a century and a half, while in T20Is, he has four fifties.

4. Tom Curran

All-rounder Tom Curran is another English cricketer in this list. Curran, like Jason Roy, helped England win the ICC Cricket World Cup last year. Tom has appeared in the IPL for both the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Rajasthan Royals. He has performed two Tests, 24 One - Day Internationals, and 27 Twenty20 Internationals for England. Curran was born in the South African city of Cape Town.

5. Roelof Van Der Merwe

Roelof van der Merwe, a renowned South African all-rounder, is now a Dutch cricketer. Johannesburg is where the erstwhile RCB player was born. He represents Somerset in county cricket. He has appeared in 15 One-Day Internationals and 43 Twenty20 Internationals. In 2015, the all-rounder made his his T20I debut for the Netherlands against Nepal.

6. Marnus Labuschagne

Marnus Labuschagne is an Australian batsman and all - rounder. At the age of ten, he travelled to Australia with his family. So far, the right-handed batsman has appeared in 18 Tests and scored 1885 runs, including five hundreds and ten half-centuries. In addition, the right-arm occasional spinner has 12 Test wickets. He has 473 runs in 13 ODIs, including a century and three fifties. He is a frequent member of Australia's Test team.

7. Kevin Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen is a retired England cricketer who also served as the team's captain for a short period of time. He is also of South African descent, having been born in the city of Pietermaritzburg. From 2004 to 2014, he was a member of the England’s national team. He has appeared in 104 Tests and scored 8181 runs at a strike rate of 47.28. In his Test career, the right-handed batsman hit 23 hundreds and 35 half-centuries. He scored 4440 runs in 136 One - Day Internationals, including 9 centuries and 25 half-centuries. Between 2008 and 2009, he led England in three Tests and nine One - Day Internationals.

8. Keaton Jennings

Keaton Jennings is a young English batsman. When the English cricket team visited India in 2016, he made his Test appearance opposite India. Johannesburg is where the left-handed batsman was born. He has appeared in 17 Test matches. Jennings has also represented South Africa at the U - 19.

9. Nick Compton

Nick Compton is another English player who made his Test debut against India. He played for England in 16 Test matches. He was born in the city of Durban of South Africa. Before relocating to the United Kingdom, the right-handed batsman completed his education in South Africa.

10. Neil Wagner

Neil Wagner is a New Zealand national team player who was born in the South African city of Pretoria. He relocated to New Zealand in 2008 and was a left-arm pacer. The 35-year-old made his New Zealand debut in a Test match against the West Indies in 2012. Wagner hasn't played in the limited-overs format yet although he is a regular member of the national team in Test matches. He has taken 222 wickets in 52 Tests so far. He's taken nine 5-wicket hauls and has the best bowling figure in a match of 9/73