Plastic Brits: Mercenaries or Professionals?

In the last Ashes Test the England team sheet contained two players born in South Africa and one born in New Zealand. Compared to other games over the last decade, this was actually a particularly English-heavy XI. The England team has a history of naturalised players, many from Southern Africa. From the Hicks, Lambs, Smiths and Greigs of yesteryear to the Kieswetters and Dernbachs of today, England has been a destination for players who saw their professional futures away from home. But the prevalence of foreign-born players has come in for criticism, with Ashes-winning captain Michael Vaughan calling it a ‘problem.’

Players who moved to England as children, like Strauss and Prior, have as good a claim as anybody to wear the three lions. Nobody could seriously question their loyalties, and people who do are likely the same kind of people who question those of Ravi Bopara or Monty Panesar because of their heritage. It isn’t the Priors or Strausses of this world that I take issue with, rather the Trotts and Pietersens. Trott, a former South African U’19 star, and Pietersen, who first played cricket in England aged 20, have been two of England’s best performers in recent years, and this could be behind the general atmosphere of acceptance that they have the right to represent their adopted country. After all, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,.

Gary Ballance, a Zimbabwean by birth who represented the African nation at U’19 level, said in an interview with The Mail that he felt “100% English” having come over “at a young age.” That age was 16, and an age at which he felt he was Zimbabwean enough to represent that nation.

But the question of nationality is a difficult one in itself. All-rounder Ben Stokes moved to Cumbria when he was 12 and few have questioned his legitimacy to play for England. His recent century against the Aussies may have quietened any dissenters. Ballance’s legitimacy has been questioned by the media, whereas Stokes’ have not, meaning the cut-off point for Englishness seems to be between the ages of 13 and 15. God knows what will happen if a Saffa who turned up on these shores ages 14 earns a place in the team!

It’s important to avoid xenophobia when discussing nationality, but if there is one environment in which where people come from is crucial it is surely international sport. If not, why do we have teams representing nations? Why not the South African Proteas, based in Cape Town but comprising players from all corners of the globe? Or the England Roses, based at Lords but just as likely to have a captain from Kolkata as Cockermouth? The money-driven, mercenary nature of the Indian Premier League may be the blueprint for the international scene of the future. The ubiquity of foreign-raised (notice ‘raised,’  not ‘born’) players in the England squad says more about the lack of quality of our own youth system than the quality of those abroad.