The situation is complex when the cricketer in question does not play for the nation he was born in. There are many such cases in cricket when a cricket born in one nation has accepted another country where he can enjoy greater opportunities in to rise up in the game. The most popular example of that remains Kevin Pietersen, who was a point of controversy everytime England squared off against South Africa.
Cricket has thrown up many interesting facets in over the years. One fascinating aspect of that is the batsman scoring a Test century against his birth nation. While there have been plenty of examples of English and Pakistani players scoring a century against India due to political reasons, the phenomenon has been repeated in modern times as well.
Here are five modern batsmen who scored a Test century against the nation of their birth.
#5 Andrew Symonds 156 against England, Melbourne 2006
The Australian all-rounder was born in Birmingham, England, on 9th June 1975. He was adopted at the age of three years and his family migrated to Queensland, Australia where Andrew would hone his cricketing skills. Symonds was named as the young cricketer of the year in 1995 after a county season with Gloucestershire.
At that point, Andrew Symonds had the choice of playing for England (birth nation), West Indies (ancestry) or Australia. The all-rounder chose to play for Australia despite being called up for England A team on tour to Pakistan. In three years, Symonds earned the ODI debut for Australia but failed to impress initially. Captain Ricky Ponting backed the calibre of this all-rounder for the 2003 World Cup, and a spectacular showing in the global tournament helped Symonds getting the baggy green as he made his Test debut.
In 2006 Ashes series, Andrew Symonds faced England at home turf. After scoring 26 and two in the Test at Perth, ‘Symmo’ was at his best in the boxing Test at Melbourne. In reply to England’s 159, Australia found itself tottering at 84/5. Symonds and Matthew Hayden stitched a 179-run partnership together to ensure an innings win for the home team. Andrew Symonds scored a belligerent 156 from 220 balls to complete a Test hundred against the nation of his birth.
#4 Kevin Pietersen against South Africa (Three centuries)
The most stylish batsman to play for England was actually born in South Africa. The fact was immensely popular and later it gave rise to numerous controversies which saw Pietersen and English cricket parting ways. The maverick batsman was born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, and made his first-class debut in 1997 for Natal.
Disgusted by the racial-quota system in his home country, Pietersen shifted to England, his mother’s country. He served the four-year qualifying period for England and promptly received a call-up in the limited overs team. Pietersen shined on his Test debut in the famous Ashes series of 2005 and soon confronted the nation of his birth.
Kevin Pietersen was incredibly successful against South Africa and struck as many as three Test centuries against his former country. In 2008 home series, Pietersen smacked consecutive hundreds in two Test matches. He scored a brilliant 152 at Lord’s and backed it up with 149 at Leeds. In the fourth Test of the same series at the Oval, Captain KP scored 100 in the low-scoring game and was adjudged as the Man of the Match.
#3 Andrew Strauss against South Africa (Two centuries)
Former England opening batsman and a successful captain, Andrew Strauss, was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 2nd March 1977. At the age of six, Strauss and family transported to England and Andrew started playing his school cricket there. He briefly lived in Australia as well and played first-class alongside Brett Lee. Strauss soon progressed to new heights while batting for Middlesex.
In the 2003-04 season, Strauss made his Test debut against New Zealand at Lord’s. The opener scored 112 in his first inning and was unfortunately run out in the second inning for 83. Later in 2004, Andrew Strauss earned the opportunity of touring his birth nation.
In the opening Test at Port Elizabeth, Strauss scored 126 and 94 not out to clinch the match for England by seven wickets. Repeating the feat in the fourth Test at the city of his birth, Strauss added a magnificent 147 in the first inning at Johannesburg. England went on to win the Test by 77 runs and led the five-match series 2-1.
#2 Ben Stokes 101 against New Zealand, Lord’s 2015
Record-holder for the fastest 250 in Test cricket and an incredible all-rounder, Ben Stokes was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 4th June 1991. His father, Gerard Stokes, a rugby coach received an offer for an England club and thus the family relocated from New Zealand to the home of cricket.
Ben Stokes rose through the ranks of Durham cricket with his stunning performances. He impressed the selectors with his batting in the Under-19 World Cup 2010. After making his limited overs debut for England in 2011, Stokes was selected for the 2013-14 Ashes series and soon donned the Test cap for England.
In the summer of 2015, New Zealand arrived at the English shores for a brief two-match Test series. In the first innings at Lord’s, England stumbled to 30/4. In the company of Joe Root, Stokes scored a fighting 92 but missed out on a hundred. In the second innings, the all-rounder scored a brilliant 101 from just 92 balls and was adjudged as the Man of the Match in the victory over his nation of birth.
#1 Usman Khawaja 141 against Pakistan, Dubai 2018
The most recent addition in the list of ex-patriots putting up a Test hundred is Australia’s current opener, Usman Khawaja. The left-handed batsman was born in Islamabad, Pakistan, and his family immigrated to Australia at the age of five. Khawaja scored consecutive double centuries for New South Wales second XI and soon came into the limelight with his solid first-class performances.
In 2011 Ashes series, Khawaja was named in the Australian squad. He made his Test debut in the fifth Test of the series and became the first Muslim cricketer to play for Australia. The 31-year-old batsman had a few good knocks but failed to secure his place in the side and was frequently dropped and reselected.
With Steve Smith and David Warner out, Khawaja became one of the senior batsmen in the Australian team. He opened the innings in the first Test at UAE against Pakistan and scored a crucial 85. The team collapsed after Khawaja was dismissed. In the fourth innings, Australia needed to bat around 140 overs to save the Test. Khawaja played the most extraordinary innings of his career and batted for 524 minutes to score a courageous 141 from 302 balls. He became the first Pakistan-born cricketer to score a Test century against Pakistan.
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