Australia is one of the most consistent teams in ICC events history. The Aussies have won the T20 World Cup, Cricket World Cup and the Champions Trophy. They even finished number one in the ICC Test rankings multiple times, while in 2023, they have qualified for the ICC World Test Championship final.
Not many fans would know that a lot of Australian cricketers were not originally born in Australia. In fact, five players who have represented the Aussies at the global stage were born in Asia. Here’s a list of five such cricketers:
1. Sri Lanka’s Dav Whatmore played for Australia
Dav Whatmore was born in Sri Lanka, but he moved to Down Under when he was a child. Whatmore played seven Tests and an ODI for the Aussies. He has retired now and works as a coach.
2. Bransby Cooper
A couple of India-born cricketers have represented the Australian cricket team at the international level. One of them was Bransby Cooper. He was a part of the Australian XI in the first-ever Test that happened at the MCG.
3. Rex Sellers
Rex Sellers was born in Valsad district of Gujarat in India. He also played international cricket for the Aussies. He was the 230th Test cricketer for the Aussies, who was known for his leg-break googly bowling.
4. Malaysia’s Stephen O’Keefe played for Australia
Malaysia does not stand among the top cricketing nations. Malaysia hosted the ICC U-19 World Cup in 2008, but their country’s cricket team is yet to play an ICC event at the senior level. A spinner from Malaysia named Stephen O’Keefe made it big at the international level while playing for Australia. He even troubled Team India in Tests with his talent.
5. Usman Khawaja
It is a well-known fact that current Aussie opener Usman Khawaja was born in Pakistan. He has been playing international cricket for the Aussies for quite some time and is among their top performers.
