Gary Ballance, the former England batter who recently signed a two-year deal with Zimbabwe Cricket, has been included in the Zimbabwe squad for the three-match homeT20I series against Ireland later this month, reported ESPN Cricinfo.
Ballance, 33, played 23 Test matches and 16 ODIs for England between 2014 and 2017. After his county side Yorkshire released him last year, he decided to sign up to play for Zimbabwe, his birth country.
Ballance is not the first cricketer to change national allegiances. We take a look at some other famous names who played for two countries and why.
Iftikhar Ali Khan (England, India)
The Nawab of Pataudi, father of future India captain Mansoor and grandfather of movie stars Saif and Soha, played Test cricket for England in 1932 and 1934. He went to Oxford for his higher education, where he became a cricketing star, scoring 1,307 runs with a batting average of 93 in the 1931 season. His exploits made him the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1932.
He was selected for the 1932 Ashes (the famous Bodyline series). He represented England thrice, scoring a century on debut but falling out with captain Douglas Jardine, supposedly over the latter’s bodyline tactics. However, he would go on to have a fantastic First Class career – 8,750 runs in 127 matches at an average of nearly 49.
The Indian cricket team was still in its infancy at this time, with tours few and far between. Pataudi was first selected for India’s 1936 tour of England but recused himself, ostensibly on health grounds. He would finally represent India in the 1946 tour. However, both his batting and captaincy were criticised. Pataudi’s Test record does not tell the full story of the player he was, but nonetheless, he went on to represent both England and India, hence becoming a part of this list.
Gul Mohammad, Abdul Hafeez Kardar, Amir Elahi (India, Pakistan)
These three cricketers are the only ones ever to represent both India and Pakistan. All three of them played for India in the 1940s but took up Pakistani citizenship after Partition.
Kardar was Pakistan’s first test captain from 1952 to 1958. He achieved the unparalleled distinction of leading his team to victory against each of the era’s Test teams. A fine all-rounder, he batted left-handed and bowled left arm orthodox spin. However, before becoming Pakistan’s talismanic skipper, Kardar represented India thrice.
Amir Elahi was a solid leg break bowler, appearing for India once and Pakistan five times. In his last Test match in 1953, at Calcutta, he was 44, also earning him the distinction of being one of the 20 oldest cricketers (officially) to ever play the game. He took over 500 first class wickets in his career.
Gul Mohammad was an aggressive left handed batter who played nine tests in total, eight for India and one for Pakistan. Considered to be one of the finest fielders of his era, he made his first-class debut at the age of 17 and hit 95 in his first match in the Bombay Pentangular. While his Test record is nothing to write home about, he scored 5614 runs at an average of over 33 in first class cricket.
Keppler Wessels (Australia, South Africa)
Kepler Wessels grew up a cricket prodigy in an era where he had little hope to play for his native South Africa, which had been barred from international competition due to the apartheid. When Kerry Packer announced the unsanctioned World Series of Cricket in the late 1970s, the 21-year-old Wessels was drafted to play for the Australian team as an opening batter.
While the World Series did not last long, Wessels stayed put on Australian shores, making his Test debut for the Aussies in 1982. Between 1982 and 1985, in 24 Test Matches, Wessels scored 1,761 runs at an average of nearly 43. He also scored 1,740 runs at an average of over 36 in ODIs. All in all, he played 78 international games for Australia. He was a reliable opening batter known for his grit and resilience. He announced his international retirement in 1985.
Wessels would continue his career as a professional cricketer and in 1991, as the ban on South Africa was lifted with apartheid’s end, Wessels was called up as the captain for the new team. He came out of retirement and became one of the most important figures in South African history. He would go on to play 55 ODIs and 16 Tests for his birth country, with respectable averages in both formats.
Eoin Morgan (Ireland, England)
Arguably England’s greatest ever white ball captain who completely changed the way England play limited overs’ cricket, Morgan first made his debut for Ireland in 2006, at the age of 16. He scored 99 on debut, getting tragically run-out. However, he would soon become Ireland’s biggest batting talent, playing 23 ODIs with an average of over 35. Morgan was the first cricketer to score a first-class double century for Ireland, with an unbeaten 209 against the United Arab Emirates in 2007.
However, Morgan’s mother was English and he held an English passport. Morgan himself wanted to play at the highest level of cricket. At the time, Ireland was an associate nation playing few matches with a sparse schedule, often against other associate teams. Morgan finally completed the switch in 2009, making his ODI debut for England against the West Indies.
Eoin Morgan would go on to play 16 Tests, 248 ODIs and 115 T20 internationals for England. While his Test career was underwhelming, he became a revolutionary limited overs batter and thinker, playing unorthodox shots at any given time of the game. He finished with an average of almost 40 in ODIs with a strike rate of over 90, and an average of 29 with a strike rate of 136 in T20 internationals.
Tim David (Singapore, Australia)
Tim David is one of the most devastating hitters in T20 cricket at the moment. At 6’5, he is a giant of a batter and uses his massive frame to generate huge power. He made his international debut for Singapore in 2019, playing 14 games for the minnows. He scored 552 runs at a whopping average of 46.5 and a strike rate of nearly 160. He also impressed in the franchise circuit, playing some blinders. Out of nowhere, there was a new batting star in T20 cricket.
In 2022, after playing domestically in Australia for a couple of years, he became eligible to play for the international side. He was immediately picked. While his start at the highest level has not yielded the consistency he would have hoped for, he is still scoring at a strike rate of over 160 and has played multiple match winning knocks for his side. In the 2022 IPL mega-auction, David was picked up for INR 8.25 crore (AUD 1.5 million) by the Mumbai Indians. In his first IPL season, he smashed the ball around, with a strike rate of over 200.
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