9 players who played T20 cricket for two countries
Playing for two different countries is not an uncommon thing in sports. We have witnessed it so many times in football over the years, and cricket is no exception.
The development of cricket in countries like Ireland, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Scotland, and Afghanistan have opened up opportunities for fringe cricketers from nations like England, South Africa, and Australia to play international cricket.
In international cricket, 27 players have so far played for two different countries. In Test cricket, players like Kepler Wessels, Boyd Rankin, John Traicos, Sammy Guillen, Amir Elahi, Abdul Hafeez Kardar, and many more have played for two different countries.
In One Day Internationals, players like Eoin Morgan, Geraint Jones, Dougie Brown, Anderson Cummins, Clayton Lambert, Kepler Wessels, are notable examples.
Though Twenty20 internationals do not have too many names, it certainly has some prominent players on the list.
On that note, let’s take a look at the cricketers who played T20I for two different countries.
#1 Mark Chapman, Hong Kong & New Zealand
The 23-year-old played some phenomenal cricket in New Zealand's T20 Super Smash, which caught the attention of many. Playing for Auckland Aces, Chapman scored 295 runs in the tournament at an average of 42 and a strike rate of 178.
Born in Hong Kong to a New Zealand father, Chapman was eligible to play for both Hong Kong and New Zealand. Chapman has played two One-day Internationals and 19 T20s for Hong Kong, before moving to New Zealand.
Chapman was called up to the New Zealand squad in February when they played a Trans-Tasman T20 tri-series against Australia and England. He has played three One Day Internationals and four Twenty20s for the Kiwis so far.
#2 Ed Joyce, England & Ireland
Born in Dublin, Ed Joyce played cricket in Ireland, before qualifying to play for England on residency grounds. He made his One Day International debut for England in June 2006. Ed Joyce later made his T20 debut for England.
Joyce played two T20 and 17 One Day Internationals for England, before returning to play for Ireland in 2010. He was selected in Ireland's 2011 World Cup squad and made his Ireland ODI debut in 2011.
Joyce was selected to play for the Ireland T20 side in 2012. Joyce played 16 T20 games for Ireland and scored 404 runs at an average of 36.72. Joyce announced their retirement from T20 cricket in May 2015.
#3 Luke Ronchi, Australia, and New Zealand
Born in Dannevirke, New Zealand, Luke Ronchi moved to Australia when he was young. The wicket-keeper batsman played only four ODIs and three T20Is for Australia since his debut in 2008. He was never a regular in the Australian team.
He then moved to his country of birth, New Zealand, in 2012 to increase his chances of playing international cricket. He played his first game for New Zealand in 2013 and then went on to play a massive role for Kiwis in the 2015 World Cup.
Luke Ronchi has played 29 T20 games for New Zealand and scored 312 runs. He played his final game for the Kiwis in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy and announced his international retirement in June 2017.
#4 Dirk Nannes, Netherlands and Australia
Born to Dutch parents, Dirk Nannes made his international debut for the Netherlands side in 2009 to play the ICC World Cup qualifiers. However, his Netherlands career was a concise one.
Just months after his debut for the Netherlands team, he was called up to Australia’s T20 side. Nannes represented Australia in the 2010 World Twenty20 tournament. Though his last T20I appearance was in 2010, the left-arm seamer has played a lot of franchise T20 cricket.
Dirk Nannes played two T20 games for the Netherlands and 15 for the Australian national team. He picked up a total of 28 wickets in his international T20 career. A genuine quick, Nannes has been a great performer in T20 cricket throughout his career.
#5 Boyd Rankin, Ireland and England
The 33-year-old tall seamer is currently an Irish cricketer. Rankin started his international cricketing career as an Ireland player. He made his debut ODI debut in 2007 and played for Ireland in the 2007 World Cup.
He was a part of the Ireland team that famously defeated Pakistan in the World Cup. He made T20I debut in 2009 and played for Ireland until 2012. Rankin decided to quit playing international cricket for Ireland in 2012 and expressed his desire to play for England.
He made his England T20 debut in 2013. His England opportunities proved very limited, and he returned to Ireland in 2016. Boyd Rankin has played 24 T20 matches for Ireland and two for England. He has picked up a total of 28 wickets in his international T20 career.
#6 Roelof van der Merwe, South Africa and the Netherlands
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Roelof van der Merwe has played international cricket for South Africa and the Netherlands. The left-arm spinner was selected to play for the Proteas in 2009 when South Africa played Australia in a T20 game.
He has played 13 Twenty20 games for South Africa and picked up 14 wickets. He has also made some useful contributions with the bat. He struggled to nail down a regular place in the Proteas limited-overs team and moved to the Netherlands.
He made his Netherlands debut in 2015 and went on to play 12 Twenty20 games for them. He has scored 117 runs and picked up 17 wickets. The 33-year-old is currently playing for the Dutch side and forms an integral part of the team.
#7 Xavier Marshall, West Indies and United States of America
There would of course be a point in this list where names start getting a bit more obscure, a bit more hard to track. A story of unfulfilled potential, Xavier Marshall is one such name.
Touted as an incredible talent both in the batting department and in the field Marshall walked into the West Indies national team as a prodigy. But as the narrative often goes, along with Marshall's cricketing prowess, came his hot temper.
Once named West Indies Youth Cricketer of the Year, Marshall was reported several times for bad behaviour. His inconsistent performances in the field did not help his case either and eventually he ousted from the national team.
Sidelined for a long while, Marshall eventually got fed up and moved to the United States of America, the team that he currently plays for.
#8 Izatullah Dawlatzai, Afghanistan and Germany
Izatullah Dawlatzai broke into the scene as a teenager who picked up the second-highest wickets in the Under-19 World Cup Qualifiers in 2009. The right arm fast bolwer debuted in 2010 (as a teenager) and remained in the national team setup.
Starting out as a tape-ball player alongside Afghan stalwart Shapoor Zadran, Dawlatzai played a pivotal part in Afghanistan's T20 World Cup qualification. However, family issues and his long distance relationship with his fiance forced him to move to Germany.
"At the beginning when I came here, I didn’t really know about cricket and I wasn’t interested in playing anymore,” he was quoted as saying by The National.
He later resumed his cricketing endeavours and has been an active member of the German national team.
#9 Hayden Walsh, USA and West Indie
2019 was an incredible year for Hayden Rashidi Walsh. After putting an incredible perfomance for the title winners Barbados Tridents' in the Carribbean Premier League, Hayden was called up for the West Indies national team.
Born in the United States to Antiguan parents, Walsh is a dual passport holder and is eligible to play for both the nations. He made his debut for the US team in 2018 and later after a really strong last season, the right arm off spinner made his T20 debut against Afghanistan in 2019.