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Ross Taylor To Represent Samoa; List Of Cricketers To Have Played For Multiple Countries

Abhinav Tyagi

Ross Taylor playing for two nations - (Source : @Johns/X.com)Ross Taylor playing for two nations - (Source : @Johns/X.com)

On Friday, September 5, New Zealand legend Ross Taylor reversed his retirement and has returned to international cricket at the age of 41. Although, the right-handed batter is all set to represent a new team and not the blackcaps.

Taylor will play for Samoa, an emerging nation in oceania region. Notably, the 41-year-old also holds a Samoan passport because of his mother and will help the associate nation grow and eye a T20 World Cup 2026 qualification. 

Further, Ross has also joined an elite list of players to have represented multiple nations. Usually, there are plenty of reasons such as migration, dual citizenship, better opportunity behind a player switching nations. Nonetheless, this article will look at all the players who have switched nations during their playing years.

Players To Switch National Teams

Overall, there are 27 prominent players who have switched their national teams because of several reasons mentioned above. Here is the complete list. 

PlayerTeams RepresentedFormat(s)Reason for Switch/Eligibility
Kepler WesselsAustralia, South AfricaTest, ODISouth Africa banned during apartheid, later returned to home country after readmission
Eoin MorganIreland, EnglandODI, T20ISought higher level of competition and career advancement
Ed JoyceIreland, EnglandTest, ODI, T20IQualified for England (via county cricket), then returned to Ireland post-ICC rule change
Boyd RankinIreland, EnglandTest, ODI, T20IQualified and selected for England while Ireland was Associate, returned after Full Member status
Luke RonchiAustralia, New ZealandODI, T20IBorn in New Zealand, started for Australia, later moved back and qualified for NZ
John TraicosSouth Africa, ZimbabweTestSouth Africa banned for apartheid, qualified for Zimbabwe post-independence
Gary BallanceEngland, ZimbabweTest, ODI, T20IBorn in Zimbabwe, played for England, then returned following loss of England contract
PJ MoorZimbabwe, IrelandTest, ODI, T20IQualified for Ireland after career in Zimbabwe
Dirk NannesNetherlands, AustraliaT20IDutch-eligible via ancestry; selected for both on form
Mark ChapmanHong Kong, New ZealandODI, T20IBorn in HK, moved and qualified for NZ
Xavier MarshallWest Indies, USAODI, T20ICareer stagnated in WI, opportunity in US via residency
Roelof van der MerweSouth Africa, NetherlandsODI, T20IDutch heritage and pathway from South African career
Rusty TheronSouth Africa, USAODI, T20ICareer opportunities and residency in USA
Clayton LambertWest Indies, USATest, ODIPost-retirement, played for US after moving there
Anderson CumminsWest Indies, CanadaODIEmigrated, later qualified for Canada
Geraint JonesEngland, Papua New GuineaODIBorn in PNG, played for England, played for PNG post-qualification
Dougie BrownEngland, ScotlandODIEligible for Scotland by ancestry/birth, played for England first
David WieseSouth Africa, NamibiaODI, T20INamibian heritage and pathway post-SA career
Hayden Walsh JrUSA, West IndiesODI, T20IAntiguan and American eligibility, career progression
Tim DavidSingapore, AustraliaT20IBorn in Singapore, raised/qualified in Australia, selected on form
Jade DernbachEngland, ItalyT20IItalian heritage, played for Italy after England career
Amjad KhanEngland, DenmarkT20IBorn in Denmark, later played for them post-England
Amir ElahiIndia, PakistanTestPartition of India and formation of Pakistan
Abdul Hafeez KardarIndia, PakistanTestPartition of India and formation of Pakistan
Gul MohammadIndia, PakistanTestPartition of India and formation of Pakistan
Nawab of Pataudi (Snr)England, IndiaTestStudied and played in England, returned to play for India
Frank HearneEngland, South AfricaTestMigration with family during colonial era
Billy MidwinterAustralia, EnglandTestFamily migration and old eligibility rules
Corey AndersonNew Zealand, USAT20, ODIBetter Opprotunities


New Zealand's History With Switching Team

Notably, Ross Taylor has become just the second New Zealand player to leave the Kiwis and join other team. If we dive deep into New Zealand's history, then Corey Anderson was the another player who played for the blackcaps but later made a move to USA and is a regular part of the team, which also played the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Meanwhile, there are two New Zealand players who have made a move to the Oceania region rather the other way around.

Luke Ronchi was the first to move to New Zealand as the former keeper-batter, who was born in New Zealand,  made his debut for Australia, but later switched to New Zealand.

Other than Luke Ronchi, Mark Chapman too switched teams. Notably, Chapman was born in Hong Kong, but courtesy of his father's Kiwi heritage, Chapman made the move and now plays for the Black Caps