2019 was a remarkable year for England as they won the ODI World Cup for the first time in their history. But the team that lifted the World Cup was trolled widely as it had several foreigners including skipper Eoin Morgan. Many cricketers from foreign countries have settled in England in search of a better lifestyle and income. In this article, we will look at five foreigners who represented England.
#5 Jofra Archer
The Barbados born pacer travelled around the world, playing in several T-20 leagues before representing England. Archer’s English connection stems from his father and he settled in Sussex to ensure qualification for the England cricket team. To include Archer in the 2019 World Cup squad, ECB changed the minimum years of residence in England to three years from seven years.
Archer is now a vital part of the England bowling lineup and is a bona fide match-winner on his day. At the moment, he is recovering from an elbow injury.
#4 Jason Roy
Among many foreigners who represented England, Roy is an important name as he led a batting revolution after the 2015 World Cup. Roy is a modern batsman in many ways and his aggressive approach at the top has won England many games.
Roy was born in Durban and like many of his compatriots, he too moved to England due to better facilities and career opportunities. Roy came to England at the age of 10 and slowly rose through the ranks in domestic cricket. He was dropped from the team in the middle of the 2017 Champions Trophy but revitalized his game soon after to become a dominant presence at the top.
#3 Eoin Morgan
Morgan is Irish by birth and did represent the Ireland cricket team for a few years before jumping ships. He was appointed the captain of England for the 2015 World Cup, but his team failed miserably. ECB retained their faith in Morgan, and he began to build a ruthless unit that would go on to dominate World Cricket for the next four years.
As a batman too, Morgan improved his game considerably from 2015 to 2019 and has firmly etched his name among England legends. Morgan’s success rate has dwindled in the past two years, but he will not compromise his attacking ideology even if it means England can win a few more games.
#2 Kevin Pietersen
Pietersen is without any doubt the most controversial figure among the foreigners who represented England. A rebel by nature, Pietersen left South Africa after raising his voice against the quota system. He joined Nottinghamshire at the turn of the century but left in 2003 after a bitter fight with the captain.
Pietersen continued to polarize opinion for the rest of his career but his popularity among fans was unquestionable. Those in power hated his maverick attitude and his glorious career would have seen more memorable moments if not for so many controversies.
#1 Ben Stokes
Born in New Zealand, Stokes chose to represent England instead and made an impressive debut in county cricket. He has not looked back since and scored his first Test century against Australia in the 2014 Ashes. Controversy followed in 2017 after a brawl in a nightclub and Stokes missed the 17-18 Ashes.
After his return, Stokes upped the ante and became indispensable, both as a bowler and a batsman. 2019 was the year of Stokes as his 84* helped England to win the World Cup final. In the Ashes that followed the World Cup, Stokes played a once in a lifetime innings at Headingley to clinch an unforgettable victory.
