Best XI Of South African Cricketers Who Represented Other Nations And Became Legends

The popularity of the game of cricket has risen in recent years. Although there are only about 12 major cricket-playing nations, more than 90 countries are associate members of ICC and have national teams. These countries participate in different international tournaments organized by ICC.

Cricketers go through a lot of struggles and hard work to play for a national team. It takes years of commitment and practice to become an international-level cricketer. However, there are also some cricketers who were born in one country but played cricket for a different nation. South Africa is the best example in this regard.

There are many players who were born in South Africa but represented national teams of other countries. In this listicle, we talk about the Best XI of South African cricketers who represented other nations and became legends.

Best XI Of South African Cricketers Who Represented Other Nations And Became Legends

Jason Roy- England

Jason Roy is a South Africa-born cricketer who plays for England. The 30-year-old Roy represents the England national team in all three formats. The right-handed batsman opens for England in the limited-overs format. Roy’s 180-run knock is the highest individual knock by an England batsman in ODIs. So far, he has played 5 Tests and 96 ODIs, scoring 187 and 3,598 runs respectively.

In T20Is, he has smashed 1034 runs in 43 matches. Roy has smashed 9 hundred and 19 fifties in ODIs. He also accounts for 5 half-centuries in T20Is. Jason Roy will be the best choice for the opener in the team of Best XI of South African cricketers who represented other nations and became legends.

Colin Munro- New Zealand

Colin Munro was born in South Africa but he plays for New Zealand. He is a left-handed aggressive batsman who is a regular part of the team in the limited-overs format. The 34-year-old is the first cricketer to hit three centuries in T20Is. In 57 ODIs so far, the left-handed batsman has smashed 1271 runs while hitting 8 half-centuries.

In 62 T20I innings, he has smashed 1724 runs along with 3 centuries and 11 half-centuries. He has played only 1 Test so far in which he scored 15 runs. Colin Munro should be the other opener in this team.

Devon Conway- New Zealand

Devon Convoy was born in Johannesburg, South Africa but he plays for New Zealand. He also played in South African domestic cricket before moving to New Zealand at the age of 26 in 2017. The left-handed batsman made his debut for the Kiwi’s national side in November 2020 in a T20I match against West Indies.

Recently, he came to the limelight after hitting a double hundred during his Test debut against England. Other than 223 runs in his only Test match, Convoy has scored 225 runs in 3 ODIs and 473 runs in 14 T20Is. He has hit a hundred and a fifty in ODIs and also smashed 4 fifties in T20Is. Devon Convoy should be the no.3 batsman in this team.

Marnus Labuschagne- Australia

Marnus Labuschagne is a batting all-rounder who plays for Australia. He was born in Klerksdorp city of South Africa. He moved to Australia with his parents at the age of 10. The right-handed batsman has played 18 Tests so far, scoring 1885 runs with 5 centuries and 10 half-centuries.

The right-arm occasional spinner has also picked 12 wickets in Tests. In 13 ODIs, Labuschagne accounts for 473 runs with 1 hundred and 3 fifties. In Tests, he is a regular member of the Australian team. He should be another batsman in this team.

Kevin Pietersen- England (Captain)

Kevin Pietersen is a former England cricketer who also led the team for a brief period. He is also of South African origin as he was born in Pietermaritzburg city of SA. He played for England national team from 2004 to 2014. He played 104 Tests, scoring 8181 runs at an average of 47.28. The right-handed batsman also smacked 23 centuries and 35 half-centuries in his Test career.

In 136 ODIs, he scored 4440 runs while hitting 9 centuries and 25 half-centuries. He was the skipper of England for 3 Tests and 9 ODIs between 2008 to 2009. Pietersen should be selected as the skipper of this team.

Glenn Phillips- New Zealand

Glenn Phillips was born in East London city in South Africa but plays for the New Zealand cricket team. He moved to New Zealand at the age of 5. He made his international debut with a T20I match against South Africa in February 2017. So far, he has played 25 T20I matches for New Zealand, scoring 506 runs along with 1 century and 2 half-centuries.

He has an average of 28.11 and a brilliant strike rate of 149+.  In his only Test, he scored 52 runs. In the Best XI of South African cricketers who represented other nations, Phillips qualifies for a crucial inclusion.

BJ Watling- New Zealand (Wicket-Keeper)

BJ Watling should be selected as the wicket-keeper of this team. BJ Watling plays for New Zealand. Like other cricketers in this list, he also has South African roots. The wicket-keeper batsman was born in Durban city of South Africa. He moved to New Zealand with his family when he was aged 10.

The right-handed batsman made his international debut in a Test match against Pakistan in 2009. So far, Watling has played 74 Tests, smashing 3789 runs with 8 centuries and 19 half-centuries. In 28 ODIs, he accounts for 573 runs with 5 fifties. In 5 T20I matches, he has scored 38 runs in 4 innings.

Roelof Van Der Merwe- Netherlands

Roelof Van Der Merwe is another cricketer who was born in South Africa but plays for another country. Merwe is an all-rounder who currently represents the Netherlands in international cricket. Unlike the other players in this list, Merwe has also played for the South Africa national team. He played for South Africa from 2009 to 2011.

In 2015, he secured a Dutch passport and played his first international match for the Netherlands. So far, he has played 15 ODIs, scoring 96 runs while hitting 1 fifty and picking 18 wickets. In 43 T20Is, he has picked 54 wickets and scored 454 runs with 5 fifties. For the all-rounder’s spot in this team, Roelof Van Der Merwe will be the best pick.

Tom Curran- England

Tom Curran is a bowling all-rounder who plays for England in all three formats. The 26-year-old cricketer was born in South Africa’s capital Cape Town. The right-arm pacer played his debut international match for England in 2017, in a Test against Australia. So far, the right-handed batsman has played 2 Tests, picking 2 wickets and scoring 66 runs.

In 26 ODIs, Curran has scalped 30 wickets while scoring 303 runs in 17 innings. In 28 T20Is, he has picked 28 wickets and scored 54 runs in 11 innings.

Neil Wagner- New Zealand

Neil Wagner was born in Pretoria city of South Africa but plays for the New Zealand national team. He is a left-arm pacer who moved to New Zealand in 2008. The 35-year-old made his international debut for New Zealand in 2012 with a Test match against West Indies. Wagner has not played in limited-overs format but he is a regular member of the national side in Tests.

In 52 Tests so far, he has scalped 222 wickets. He has picked a 5-wicket haul 9 times and has the best bowling figure of 9/73 in a match. Neil Wagner should be selected as another pacer in this team.

Michael Neser- Australia

Michael Neser is an Australian cricketer. He is a right-arm medium pacer. He was born in Pretoria city of South Africa but moved to Australia with his family when he was 10 years old. The 31-year-old earned the national cap in June 2018, in an ODI match against England.

He has only played 2 ODIs so far in which he picked 2 wickets. However, he is a regular member of Australia’s domestic team Queensland and also plays in the Big Bash League for Adelaide Strikers. Nesser should be the other pace bowler in this team.