5 Cricketers who played for two different countries

In cricket's long history, a select few have had the rare privilege of donning the caps of two national sides. Spurred possibly by the vicissitudes of history, personal ambition, or the shifting sands of qualification rules, these cricketers traversed the complex high-wires between nations to create their own niche in world cricket.

While such dual‑nation careers are not common, they throw light on cricket's globalisation, wherein personal histories, evolving regulations, and the allure of the global arena meet. These five cricketers set novel courses, enriching the sport's tapestry and proving that, in cricket, responsibility and potential can sometimes prevail over borders.

We present here five such career trajectories, each a statement of grit, ability, and the indomitable will of the game.

1. Kepler Wessels (Australia → South Africa)

Kepler Wessels was born in Bloemfontein in 1957. He began his Test cricket career playing for Australia in 1982, scoring 162 on his debut against England at The Gabba. With apartheid-era exclusion denying him an opportunity at home, he returned to captain a readmitted South Africa afresh in 1991, adding 16 Tests and 55 ODIs for the Proteas until 1994. Wessels is the only man to have scored centuries in Tests for two nations, accumulating six Test hundreds and an ODI century each in total across both his careers. 

2. John Traicos (South Africa → Zimbabwe)

Athanasios John Traicos made his debut as a South African off-spinner in February 1970, but the nation's exile from cricket brought his international career to a premature end after only three Tests. Twenty-four years later, aged 45, he made a comeback to play for Zimbabwe in their first Test against India in October 1992, taking 5 for 86 in Harare. Traicos played four Tests and 27 ODIs for Zimbabwe before retiring in 1993, holding both age and record for the longest gap between Test caps.

3. Eoin Morgan (Ireland → England)

Dublin-born Morgan debuted for Ireland in 2006, playing ODIs and leading the Under‑19s, before switching to England in 2009. He went on to become England's white‑ball captain, leading them to win the 2010 T20 World Cup and the record-breaking 2019 ODI World Cup. Morgan scored 7,701 runs in ODIs for England in his career—making him their top scorer—and is the only cricketer to have scored ODI centuries for two countries.

4. Luke Ronchi (Australia → New Zealand)

Wicket‑keeper batsman Luke Ronchi appeared in four ODIs and three T20Is for Australia from 2008 to 2009, replacing injured Brad Haddin.

Unhappy with limited opportunities, he returned to his homeland, New Zealand, in 2012, qualifying the next year. Ronchi played 85 ODIs and 32 T20Is for the Black Caps from 2013 to 2017. He infamously scored 170* at seven against Sri Lanka in 2015—a world record at position number seven. He was the first cricketer to represent Australia and New Zealand at the international level. 

5. Ed Joyce (England → Ireland) 

A long-term Ireland batsman, Ed Joyce changed allegiance to England in 2006 and played 17 ODIs and two T20Is, including the 2007 World Cup. Limited opportunities led him to successfully approach the ICC for a dispensation to return to Ireland for the 2011 World Cup.

Joyce continued to play for Ireland in 77 ODIs and 18 T20Is, scoring six international centuries and becoming captain of the team in their maiden Test in 2018. His unconventional career emphasises as much the ICC's open eligibility rules as his sustained class at the crease.

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