The belated inclusion of Craig Kieswetter in the ODI squad to Bangladesh adds more South African blood to an England side that, on one hand, perhaps mirrors its multi-cultural society, and on the other, is making a mockery of nationalism - the very foundation that makes international sport so alluring.
Other than the following ten South African-born England performers, four others were born in Southern Africa in what constituted Rhodesia (Northern and Southern Rhodesia, now Zambia and Zimbabwe respectively) - Graeme Hick, Phil Edmonds, Paul Parker and Neal Radford. Naturally, South African players have played for neighbouring Zimbabwe, but the tally is still greater for those representing England - a country over 5000 miles away.
Since Basil D’Oliveira’s debut in 1966, the subsequent list of South Africans have amassed 418 Test caps, 73 centuries and 27487 runs for England, while four have captained their adopted nation. Furthermore, note the absence of front-line bowlers - the majority are predominantly batsmen with a few all-rounders thrown in.
1. Kevin Pietersen
England’s most flamboyant batsman was born in Natal, whom he played his first first-class game for in 1997 before moving to England, having voiced his displeasure at the racial quota system in his native land. The Hampshire batsman burst onto the One Day International arena in South Africa, having impressed in Zimbabwe. By the end of the series, the South African crowds had generally replaced hostility with respect for Pietersen and his early form for England broke all kinds of records. Despite an unsuccessful spell as captain, ‘KP’ remains England’s X-Factor performer and his 158 at The Oval helped establish him as the highest run-scorer in the legendary 2005 Ashes series.
2. Andrew Strauss
Even the firmest protestors of the amount of SAFs in the current England team can afford to let this one slip. Johannesburg-born, a six-year-old Andrew Strauss moved to England, owing to his English mother. He became only the fourth batsman to score a century at Lord’s on his Test debut and his home venue for Middlesex also saw him notch his first ODI hundred and his inaugural ton as England captain. Overlooked for the captaincy in the 2006/07 Ashes series - a position filled by Andrew Flintoff - his subsequent poor form cost him a place in Sri Lanka but his star has risen once more, re-establishing himself as a reliable captain and fine opening batsman.
3. Tony Greig
Born in Queenstown, Cape Province, the son of a stringent Scottish father, he successfully trialled for Sussex in 1965 and followed the footprints made by Basil D’Oliveira, qualifying for his adopted homeland. A tall batsman whose personality and charisma made up for a shortage of natural ability, he captained England on 14 occasions and was a useful bowler. Always up for a challenge, he made hundreds against the likes of Lillee and Thomson, Roberts and Holding and Bedi and Chandra, batting predominantly at number six. He became one of the first and keenest disciples of Kerry Packer, adopting the role of a secret recruiting agent for the entrepreneur's rebel World Series Cricket.
4. Allan Lamb
Signed for Northamptonshire as their overseas player in 1978, “Lamby” was persuaded by Ken Turner, their secretary, that South Africa’s return to the international arena was still far afield - thus he took advantage of his parents' English heritage. Neither his accent nor his colonial chancer ever relaxed, but he became a mainstay in England’s middle order for the next decade and captained the side in three Tests, albeit pretty poorly. A technically strong and compact batsman, he could also hit the ball aggressively. Lamb is one of only six players to have batted on all five days of a Test match.
5. Basil D’Oliveira
Cape Town-born, he was classified as ‘coloured’ under the apartheid regime and thus barred from first-class cricket. John Arlott enticed him to England and having impressed at Worcestershire he made his England debut in 1966. His initial omission from, then selection in, England’s 1968/69 touring party to South Africa led to the cancellation of the tour. South African Prime Minister BJ Vorster had already stated that D’Oliveira’s inclusion was not acceptable. In 2000, he was nominated as one of 10 South African cricketers of the century, despite not having played for his native land. “Dolly” remains the foremost subject area when discussing the intermingling of politics and sport, and he was the chief catalyst of South Africa’s international sports boycott.
6. Robin Smith
The former Hampshire batsman was born in Natal and, like Pietersen, started his professional cricket career with the club. Like his older brother Chris, he was unable to play international cricket for his homeland because of their exclusion owing to the apartheid regime. His English parents qualified him to play for the Three Lions and he accumulated a healthy average due to his effective top-order exploits against fast bowlers - notably his supersonic cuts and hooks. Conversely, his prowess against spin bowling was inadequate at the top level and there is a feeling that England did not get the best out of their adopted son.
7. Matthew Prior
Currently England’s wicket keeper - although Kieswetter is putting intense pressure on his limited overs place - Prior is another unlikely inclusion in this list. Similar to Strauss, the Sussex man was seeded in Johannesburg and moved to England at the age of 11 with his South African mother and English father. He went on to represent England at all ages before making the step up to international cricket. His wicket-keeping has been scorned in the past, and although he is not renowned to be a gutsy performer when wickets are tumbling, he is a good lower-order hitter. Nevertheless, two hundreds in 44 Test innings suggest he has found his spot at seven rather than six.
8. Jonathan Trott
The Warwickshire batsman’s half-brother, Kenny Jackson, represented the Netherlands and Western Province, and it is thought that he is also related to Albert Trott, the former Australia batsman, though he is unsure exactly how. Trott was born in Cape Town to a South African family of English descent. He played in the Under-15 and Under-19 World Cups for South Africa but his British passport enabled him to move to Warwickshire in 2003 without being labelled an overseas player. He earned his first Test call-up for the fifth Test of the 2009 Ashes series, celebrating the occasion with a brilliant debut century.
9. Chris Smith
“Kippy,” like his younger brother, played for England and Hampshire when he knew that his international ambitions could not be fulfilled with South Africa. Smith never cemented his place in the England side, only getting eight Test match airings. Smith’s success at domestic level was a triumph of nurture over nature, and scored 47 centuries for Hampshire. The moustachioed batsman was dismissed by his first delivery in Test cricket by the legendary Richard Hadlee at Lord's in 1983, but had a better time of it the following winter, hitting 91 at Auckland and 66 at Faisalabad.
10. Ian Greig
A discounted model of his brother: not as tall, not as good and not as chirpy, Ian Greig was quietly determined rather than naturally talented. He only managed two Test matches for England and was perhaps lucky to gain international recognition in the first place. He emigrated to Australia after being released by Sussex in 1985, but returned as Surrey captain in 1987, helping to nurture emerging talents such as Graham Thorpe and Martin Bicknell. His most successful season for Sussex was in 1981, when he scored 911 runs at 30.36 and took 76 wickets at 19.32.