Cricketers heading to other shores in order to find their luck is not an uncommon occurrence and there have been plenty of occasions in the past where they have come and made a difference to the teams. Here are five instances where players have represented teams in other nations:
Rahul Dravid:
The Indian legend went on to play games for a team known as the Scottis Saltires as he helped them raise their levels in the Scottish league. His name was suggested by the then Indian coach, John Wright as he said that Dravid, not Tendulkar was the one who could get work done both on and off the field.
Dravid went on to play 11 games for them and only ended up winning one. However, he smashed three centuries and left with an average of 66.66 and credited this experience as one that helped him in his cricketing career.
Ramesh Powar:
The former Indian spinner was another one who played for Sefton Park in the absence of another player who had gotten injured. Powar was a prominent cricketer for Mumbai, having played a big role in their 2002 Ranji victory.
He ended up playing for the Sefton Park cricket club in Liverpool and picked up an impressive 25 wickets in addition to the 325 runs that he scored.
Michael Clarke:
The former Australian captain is another one who played for a unconventional team. He played for the Kowloon Cantons in the Hong Kong league but was not able to show his true form in the tournament owing to rainy conditions.
He did manage a good 15 off 10 balls before rain played spoilsport. They ended up winning the tournament however.
Mohammad Asif:
One of the forgotten men from Pakistan, Asif was banned from the game for his involvement in a match-fixing scandal and could not play for five years. However, his compatriot, Amir was allowed back into the squad.
Asif now plies his trade in the Norwegian league with Christianiana Cricket Club and is still trying to get back to the Pakistani team.
Kevin Pietersen:
Pietersen, who is one of the most popular English players to have represented his country has unofficially played for Piers Morgan’s team. The TV show host, who is a cricket fan has his own squad called the Piers Morgan XI.
He is registered with the Newick XI and every year they play an unofficial match against each other. Morgan ensures that Pietersen gets a bit of the action whilst they are having this match.
By Rohit Nair
