There is no doubt that cricketers represent their respective nations with loads of pride. They do the amount of hard work to perform better for their national teams. However, in recent years, some players have shifted their base to other countries citing various reasons.
Sometimes either due to the tough competition or lack of proper facilities, players from different nations tend to change their base to other countries.
For example, currently, there are two types of cricket-playing nations. One is, of course, the Test-playing countries where players get proper cricketing structure while the second group is of the associate members, where players often lack facilities.
However, the development of cricket in associate nations is changing and due to which the cricketers from the Test-playing lands, who do not receive regular opportunities in their home country are moving here. Similarly, the associate cricketers who wish to have a better future, consider moving towards big countries.
Let’s have a look at five such cricketers who changed their country in recent years:
1.) Corey Anderson
Kiwi star, Corey Anderson, continued the legacy of quality all-rounders in New Zealand cricket. The talented cricketer entertained his fans with his attacking batting and left-arm medium-pace bowling. Due to his all-round capabilities, Anderson was a valuable asset for different franchises in various T20 leagues.
Anderson played 93 international matches for Black Caps, in which he has amassed 2277 runs and taken 90 wickets. The 29-year-old appeared in 30 IPL matches where he has scored 538 runs and picked up 11 scalps.
Injuries forever hindered Anderson’s career, and it declined after the 2015 World Cup, where New Zealand ended up as runners-up. That’s the reason why recently, the Christchurch-lad decided to quit international cricket for his nation and signed a 3-year deal with the USA’s Major League Cricket. Anderson’s fiancee Mary Margaret is from the United States.
2.) Anshuman Rath
Former Hong Kong cricket team skipper Anshuman Rath stole the limelight after his team gave the Indian cricket team a hard time in Asia Cup 2018. Rath scored 73 runs off 97 deliveries and formed a 174-run opening stand with teammate Nizakat Khan while chasing 286 runs.
However, Anshuman’s side failed to chase down the target and lost the contest by 26 runs. Later, he decided to return to India and joined Orissa as the left-handed batsman.
While playing for Hong Kong, the 23-year-old player appeared in 38 international games. His best knock came against Papua New Guinea in 2017, where he scored 143 off 137 deliveries in the ODI fixture.
3.) Sami Aslam
Former Pakistan Test opener Sami Aslam played for his nation in 13 Test matches and 4 ODIs. He accumulated 758 runs in red-ball format, including seven half-centuries. Despite this, he was not given opportunities after the 2017 Test against Sri Lanka.
Although Sami kept on performing in the domestic circuit, still he was not picked in either for a Test or any white-ball fixture. Sami finally decided to leave Pakistan and joined the USA cricket.
4.) Usman Qadir
Usman Qadir, son of legendary Pakistan bowler Abdul Qadir, represented Australia at the domestic level until November 2020 when he debuted for Pakistan national cricket team.
Usman played for the Adelaide Cricket Club in South Australia in the 2012–13 season. In September 2018, the leg-break bowler signed a contract to play for Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League (BBL). In 2018, Usman made his debut for Western Australia against Victoria in the 2018-19 JLT One-Day Cup.
Recently, Usman made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe. He impressed a lot in his first three T20I games, picking up eight wickets. Usman is a part of the Pakistani squad for the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand.
5.) Morne Morkel
Former South Africa pacer Morne Morkel represented his country in 247 international matches across the three formats. The right-armer has scalped 544 wickets in the international arena.
Morkel also played 70 IPL matches, where he picked up 77 wickets. The 36-year-old played for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Rajasthan Royals (RR), and Delhi Capitals (DC).
Last month, Morkel became a permanent resident of Australia. And after that, BBL franchise Brisbane Heat signed him as a local player for the 10th season. Morkel is married to Australian sports broadcaster Roz Kelly.
