These players have a unique record!
Numerous cricketers aspire to represent their country at the international level, with some achieving this dream while others fall short. However, a select few cricketers have had the unique opportunity to play for two different countries in international cricket, leaving their mark by scoring memorable centuries for both. In this article, we will compile a list of batters who have scored international centuries for two different countries.
Kepler Wessels, born in South Africa, made his international debut for Australia in November 1982. The left-handed batter marked his Test debut with a remarkable 162-run innings against England in Brisbane. Playing for Australia until November 1985, Wessels scored 1761 runs in Tests, including 4 centuries, and 1740 runs in ODIs, including one century. After retiring from international cricket in 1985, Wessels made a comeback to represent his birth country, South Africa, in 1991. He achieved his fifth Test century and first for South Africa in November 1992 against India. This milestone made Kepler Wessels the first cricketer to score a century for two different countries in international cricket. He continued to represent South Africa until October 1994, amassing 1027 Test runs with 2 centuries and 1627 ODI runs with 12 half-centuries.
Ed Joyce represented both his birth country, Ireland, and his neighbouring country, England, in international cricket. He made his debut for England in 2006, playing his first ODI against Ireland. Joyce's tenure with the English team was brief, scoring 472 runs in 18 innings, including a century (107 off 142 balls) against Australia in 2007. After a four-year hiatus, he returned to play for Ireland during the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Joyce scored his maiden hundred (116* off 132 balls) for Ireland in an ODI against PAK in 2013. He continued to represent his homeland until 2018, accumulating 2602 runs across various formats.
Another Irish cricketer on the list who has represented both Ireland and England internationally is Eoin Morgan. Morgan began his international career with Ireland in 2006 and narrowly missed out on a century on his ODI debut. However, he soon achieved his maiden ODI hundred (115 off 106 balls) in his fifth ODI against Canada in 2007. After representing Ireland until April 2009, Morgan made his debut for England just a month later. He scored his first hundred (110* off 104 balls) for England against Bangladesh in 2010, marking the beginning of a successful career with the English team.
Mark Chapman, with dual citizenship in Hong Kong and New Zealand, began his cricket journey representing Hong Kong from a young age, including playing for their under-19 team. He made his international debut for Hong Kong during the 2014 T20 World Cup. Chapman achieved his only ODI century (124* off 116 balls) on his debut against the UAE in 2015, becoming the first Hong Kong batsman to achieve this milestone. After his stint with Hong Kong, Chapman was called up to the New Zealand squad in 2018. He scored his maiden century (101* off 75 balls) for New Zealand in an ODI against Scotland in 2022.
Gary Ballance, born in Zimbabwe but raised in England from a young age, made a notable impact in county cricket with Yorkshire in 2013. His performance earned him a spot in the England squad, and he debuted in ODIs in 2013. While his ODI career didn't flourish, Ballance made his mark in Test cricket by scoring his maiden century (104* off 188 balls) for England against Sri Lanka in 2014. After enjoying a successful year with England, Ballance later faced challenges due to a decline in form and eventually took a break from international cricket. In 2023, he returned to represent Zimbabwe, playing seven matches across formats. In his solitary Test for Zimbabwe, he impressed with an unbeaten 137 runs against the West Indies, becoming only the second batsman after Kepler Wessels to score a Test century for two different teams.
While these players have these centuries for two countries, their contributions are mostly towards one country!
