Making a debut for his country in international cricket is a big deal in a cricketer’s life. While most cricketers have only experienced this day once, there are select people who have experienced it twice by representing two national teams at the global level. After representing Australia in 1877, Billy Midwinter made his England debut in 1881.
Following suit, three additional Australian cricketers, Billy Murdoch, JJ Feris, and Sammy Woods, earned their England debuts between 1892 and 1896. Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi represented both England (1932-34) and India (1934-35). (1946). Gul Mohammad, Abdul Hafeez Kardar, and Amir Elahi represented both Asian cricketing nations in India and Pakistan, respectively.
Here are five players that have played for two countries in their careers.
Number 1. Luke Ronchi (New Zealand and Australia)
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Luke Ronchi had a distinguished international career with New Zealand. He is the first cricketer in history to have represented both Australia and New Zealand. He made his international debut in an away series against the West Indies in 2008. Ronchi played a T20I and four ODIs in place of Brad Haddin, who was out with an injury.
Ronchi was only able to play four ODIs and three T20Is for Australia as competition for the wicket-keeper position increased. The New Zealand cricket board chose him for the England series in May of 2013.
On May 31, 2013, he made his New Zealand debut against England in the first One-Day International (ODI) at Lord’s. Ronchi scored 1,321 runs at a strike rate of 111.66 in 81 One-Day Internationals for New Zealand. In T20Is, he again performed admirably, scoring 312 runs in 29 matches at a strike rate of 137.44.
Number 2. David Wiese (Namibia and South Africa)
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David Wiese is currently an important piece in Namibia’s team due to his all-around abilities. Namibia defeated Sri Lanka by 55 runs in the T20 World Cup 2022 last year, thanks in large part to Wiese’s crucial contribution of 2/16. Wiese did, however, have the opportunity to play for his home country of South Africa. He only played white-ball cricket for South Africa between 2013 and 2016.
In 20 T20Is, he took 24 wickets for South Africa. As a batsman, he batted 122.66 per cent and scored 92 runs. In 2016, he appeared in three T20 World Cup games for South Africa, however, he was ineffective, scoring only 28 runs and taking one wicket.
He made his international comeback after five years in 2021 when he joined Namibia for the Summer T20 Bash. In the same year, he participated in the T20 World Cup 2021, where he provided an all-around effort for the squad, scoring 227 runs and taking six wickets in eight matches.
Number 3. Roelof van der Merwe (South Africa and Netherlands)
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Roelof van der Merwe is one of the few cricketers who has represented two countries. The all-rounder made his international debut for South Africa in a Twenty20 International against Australia at the Centurion in 2009. Six days later, he faced the same opponents in his debut ODI.
He made 57 runs in 13 T20Is for South Africa at a strike rate of 114.00. He took 14 wickets with the ball at an economy rate of 6.93. The all-rounder also played 13 One-Day Internationals, taking 17 wickets at a 4.77 economy rate.
He obtained his Dutch passport in 2015 and made his T20I debut for the Netherlands against Nepal on July 3, 2015. He has featured in three T20 World Cups for the affiliate team (2016, 2021, and 2022). So far, he has contributed 408 runs and 42 scalps in 39 matches for the Dutch.
Number 4. Dirk Nannes (Netherlands and Australia)
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Dirk Nannes was formerly well-known in T20 internationals for his brave bowling. Nannes represented the Netherlands and Australia in T20Is, where he bowled 28 batsmen in 17 matches with an economy of 7.52. In the second edition of the T20 World Cup in 2009, the former Australian-Dutch cricketer made his international debut (2009).
The bowler made his international debut for the Netherlands against England in the main event. In his first game, he did not take a wicket but did provide an economical stint (4-0-30-0) to help his team limit the opponents to 162/5.
He made his international debut for Australia in an ODI against Scotland in August 2009. With 14 wickets in seven matches at an economy of 7.03, the left-arm fast bowler became Australia’s leading wicket-taker in the T20 World Cup 2010.
Number 5. Tim David (Singapore and Australia)
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Tim David, 26, is a dynamic batsman in T20 cricket due to his aggressive playing style. His success in T20 competitions around the world has aided his development in international cricket. The teenager is also part of a group of cricketers who have represented two countries in international competitions.
David made his international debut in July 2019 when he played his first T20I match for Singapore against Qatar.
In 14 T20I games for Singapore, he scored 558 runs with a stunning strike rate of 158.52. The Australian cricket team selected him for the T20 World Cup 2022 after seeing his outstanding batting performances in T20Is and T20 leagues. David, on the other hand, did not fare well in the event, but he will make the most of the upcoming opportunities.
