5 cricketers who scored a hundred for two countries
Scoring a hundred for their national team has been the ultimate aim for aspiring cricketers all around the globe. At some point in time, most of us have visualized ourselves celebrating after doing so and winning a cricket match for our country.
A handful of people go on to live the dream. In some unique cases, some people end up living the dream twice, like Mark Chapman. The Hong Kong-born left-handed batter registered his first hundred while playing for New Zealand against Scotland last Sunday. He had previously scored a century while representing the country of his birth.
Upon completing his hundred, Chapman also made it to a unique list of batters to score a hundred for two different countries. We take a look at five such individuals who have done so in the 145-year history of the sport:
#1 Kepler Wessels - Australia and South Africa
The former left-handed opening batter, who was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, traveled to Australia at the age of 21 to be a part of Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket bonanza. He earned a call-up to the Australian national cricket team and proceeded to be a prolific figure for them for the next three years.
Wessels accumulated a total of 1,761 runs in the 24 Test matches he played for Australia, crossing the three-figure mark on four occasions. Six years after he announced his retirement from international cricket in 1985, Wessels made a comeback.
This time, he featured for his birth country, South Africa, in their first game after the ICC lifted the ban imposed on the rainbow nation. The left-handed opener went on to play for three more years, notching up two hundreds each in 16 Tests and 55 ODIs.
#2 Rahul Dravid - India and Scotland
A throwback to when world class batter and current India Men's head coach Rahul Dravid donned the Saltire in 2003 🏴 https://t.co/2yAkYBEhk7
In 2003, Rahul Dravid traveled to the UK for a stint with the Scotland cricket team. He played a total of 12 matches, amassing a total of 625 runs, which included a hundred against Somerset in the National Cricket League.
Dravid scored an unbeaten 120 off 97 deliveries, but Scotland faced a narrow one-wicket defeat to Somerset. Dravid ended up being on the losing side on 11 out of the 12 occasions that summer, with the only win coming against Sussex.
Of course, Dravid's cricketing career for India needs no elaboration. To sum it up briefly in the context of the topic, having played a total of 509 matches, Dravid reached the three-figure mark on 48 occasions. Other than Scotland, Dravid also played for Kent among other teams on the England domestic circuit.
#3 Ed Joyce - England and Ireland
Born and raised in Dublin, Ed Joyce is also among the very few people to have played a World Cup for two international teams. Between 2001-2005, Joyce scored a total of 758 runs at an average of 84.22 for Ireland before making the move to England.
Joyce was a part of the England side for the next two years, playing a total of 17 ODIs. His highest score of 107, also his only hundred in an England shirt, came against Australia in a tri-series game in Sydney. His chances of making it big in an England shirt started to diminish after the 2007 50-Over World Cup.
Four years later, the ICC permitted him to represent Ireland again, and he proceeded to don the Irish colors for the next seven years. Joyce accumulated a total of 2,151 ODI runs for Ireland in that period, scoring a total of five tons.
ALSO READ: 5 times an Indian batter scored a double hundred to help the team win
#3 Eoin Morgan - Ireland and England
Unlike Joyce, Eoin Morgan started off his international career with Ireland. He made his ODI debut against Scotland in 2006 and almost reached the three-figure mark straightaway, but was run out one short of his hundred. He had to wait six more months to reach that milestone, and he did so against Canada in a World Cricket League game in Nairobi.
Morgan then earned a spot in the England side in 2009 after having been a part of the England Lions squad for almost a year before that. There was no looking back for him after that. He achieved his dream of playing Test match cricket, scoring hundreds against both Pakistan and India, and his ODI record with England is envious to say the least.
Along with 6,957 runs in 225 matches and 13 hundreds, Morgan has also led the England side in two 50-Over World Cups, famously leading them to the title in 2019. He recently announced his retirement from international cricket after the conclusion of England's ODI series against the Netherlands.
#5 Mark Chapman - New Zealand and Hong Kong
Back to back Player of the Match Awards for Mark Chapman in Scotland! Chapman made 101* against Scotland in today's one off ODI. Scorecard | on.nzc.nz/3vrSX8Y #SCOvNZ https://t.co/01BYmDQg0g
Born in Hong Kong, Chapman was raised by a Hong Konger mother and a New Zealander father. He made his debut for Hong Kong in 2011 at the tender age of 16 against the USA in the third division of the 2011 World Cricket League.
In November 2015, he became the first Hong Kong cricketer to score a hundred when he hit 124 against the UAE. By virtue of his New Zealand citizenship, Chapman found it easy to get into New Zealand's domestic cricket setup in the same year, and in 2018, he earned a call-up to the New Zealand national squad.
Till date, Chapman has played a total of 20 international matches for New Zealand. On Sunday (July 31), he guided the Blackcaps to a resounding seven-wicket win over Scotland with the help of his second hundred in ODI cricket, making it to this list.