South Africans Who Have Played For England: It is common for England to have many South Africans on their team. Arunabha Sengupta lists all the South Africans who have played Test cricket for England and shares some interesting facts about others who moved to South Africa.

Summer of 1984

England had just been defeated by the West Indies for the fourth time in a row, this time at Manchester, ending in a 0-5 series loss.

A cartoon in the English papers showed the struggling English captain David Gower saying, “Sure, England can be the best team in the world. Get us ten more South Africans.”

This was a tribute to Allan Lamb, who bravely scored his third century of the series amidst the losses.

28 years later – 2012

When South Africa was about to compete for the Basil D’Olivera Trophy, England already had four South Africans in their team: captain Andrew Strauss, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, and Matt Prior.

Although South Africans playing for England is common, having four in the same team is rare. Here is a list of ten South Africans who have played for England, with many doing so during South Africa’s cricket ban.

Basil D’Olivera (Debut 1966)

He was a Cape Coloured cricketer recruited by the Lancashire League. He became a great batsman and useful medium-pacer, debuting at 34. When selected to tour South Africa in 1970, their apartheid government refused him entry, leading to the tour’s cancellation and South Africa’s cricket isolation for 21 years.

Tony Greig (Debut 1972)

Born in Queenstown, Greig played for Sussex in 1965 and made his Test debut seven years later. He scored six hundred and took 140 wickets. As a captain, he was loved in India but angered West Indians with a controversial remark. Later, he helped Kerry Packer recruit players for the World Series Championships.

Allan Lamb (Debut 1982)

Lamb scored six of his 14 hundred against the fast bowlers of the West Indies. He used his parents’ English births to qualify for England and played for over a decade.

Ian Greig (Debut 1982)

Brother of Tony Greig, Ian played only two Tests with limited success, unable to rival Ian Botham for the all-rounder spot.

Chris Smith (Debut 1983)

Chris, brother of Robin Smith, played eight Tests, managing a couple of half-centuries against Pakistan.

Robin Smith (Debut 1988)

Smith was a great player of fast bowling but struggled against spin. He scored 4236 runs from 62 Tests and was dropped after his final series in South Africa.

Andrew Strauss (Debut 2004)

Strauss scored nearly 7000 runs with 21 hundreds in 100 Tests. He formed a successful opening partnership with Alastair Cook and led England to the top of the Test rankings.

Kevin Pietersen (Debut 2005)

Pietersen, who left South Africa due to the quota system, scored over 8000 runs and 23 centuries for England. Despite his talent, disputes led to his early retirement.

Matt Prior (Debut 2007)

Prior, the only South African wicketkeeper for England, averaged in the 40s with the bat and scored seven hundreds. He improved his keeping skills over time.

Jonathan Trott (Debut 2009)

Trott scored a century on his debut and had a solid batting average. He played for South Africa in youth World Cups before moving to England and securing the number three spot in the team. He retired due to psychological issues.