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English Ringers, mate!

How do you view Aussies/Kiwis/South Africans who turn out for England?

  • Traitors, pure & simple

    Votes: 12 14.0%
  • Pros selling their trade for top dollar

    Votes: 16 18.6%
  • Welcome converts to English cause

    Votes: 29 33.7%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 29 33.7%

  • Total voters
    86

BoyBrumby

Englishman
Interesting to see the poll result indicates most English supporters (on CW anyway) are either 'indifferent' or more-than-comfortable with converts playing based on qualification via British residency/citizenship .

At the moment, I think there's about 2-3 South African's in England's set-up.

My question to English posters is....At what point, if any, would it start bothering you? Hypothetically, if there were 5-6 (or even more) overseas born players, do you think your current view would still hold firm?
I think any number is going to be arbitrary, but for me at least there would be a tipping point at which I begin to feel uncomfortable at least. Possibly when foreign-raised players (I do think there is a distinction between those players who are overseas-born, but moved to the UK as children with their families and those who moved here as adults to pursue their careers, myself) became the majority.

Wouldn't stop me supporting England tho; have a tribal loyalty I couldn't overcome.
 

wpdavid

Hall of Fame Member
Not at all. Reeve played for Hong Kong and Pringles father played for East Africa and Pringle was born there. Certainly foreign born and the point of the topic was foreign born players not just non-Anglos
Actually the point of the topic was, to quote, 'ringers' which to me implies nationality rather than place of birth. Unless you're suggesting that Reeves & Pringles senior considered their lads anything other than English when they popped out, in which case I'd suggest that you're in all proability wrong. And tbh I don't see the relevance of Derm playing for Hong Kong and even less so Don Pringle turning out for EA.
 

wpdavid

Hall of Fame Member
I think any number is going to be arbitrary, but for me at least there would be a tipping point at which I begin to feel uncomfortable at least. Possibly when foreign-raised players (I do think there is a distinction between those players who are overseas-born, but moved to the UK as children with their families and those who moved here as adults to pursue their careers, myself) became the majority.

Wouldn't stop me supporting England tho; have a tribal loyalty I couldn't overcome.

Totally identify with your last point. For all my hand-ringing over guys who've changed natioinality as a career move, I'll always want to see 'England' win and will probably always sulk when they lose, whatever the make-up of the side. Would I have been happier if KP & Trott hadn't played and we'd not won the Ashes in 2005 & 2009? Not a chance.

All that being said, I enjoy the occasional triumphs of Cook, Collingwood & Bell more than when Trott or KP performs. And if age does eventually bring enough maturity to treat the twin imposters of defeat and victory equally, then I may just switch off if the English cricket team increasingly becomes the career of choice for disaffected Saffers.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Actually the point of the topic was, to quote, 'ringers' which to me implies nationality rather than place of birth. Unless you're suggesting that Reeves & Pringles senior considered their lads anything other than English when they popped out, in which case I'd suggest that you're in all proability wrong. And tbh I don't see the relevance of Derm playing for Hong Kong and even less so Don Pringle turning out for EA.
David Hemp and Bermuda is another comparable case. They were examples of nothing more than taking advantage of a chance circumstance to enhance one's career prospects.

I simply cannot understand why place of birth has any relevance whatsoever to which team someone "should" play for. Where you were born, to me, means nothing other than a nominal piece of trivia - birth is something no human, ever, has any memory of and where one was born plays zero part in one's development.

Anything before the age of about 5 to me is completely irrelevant to national identity.
 

King Pietersen

International Captain
Won 66.66% of Ashes Series since 2005 too, with Australia winning just 33.33% of series, which means we're twice as good a side. :happy:
 

wfdu_ben91

International 12th Man
Since 2005 Ashes

Played 15
4 Drawn
Australia's won 7
England's won 4

Even if you deduct the deadrubbers we're still ahead, so yeah, take that KING PIETERSEN!! :D
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
And since the Second Test of the 2005 Ashes, it's England won 4, Australia won 6, 4 draws, all of which were truncated and 3 of which would've likely have seen England win with lost play made-up.

In other words, in recent times there's been little to choose between the sides. Or, rather, there's often been a lot to choose between them (most victories seen one side dominate from start to finish) but the number of times each side has dominated has been equal.
 

Furball

Evil Scotsman
Even though you've only won 2 out of the last 10 Tests played between Australia and England.
Same win rate as Australia's most recent 5 Ashes Tests.

Incidentally, England's win rate in those 5 most recent Tests is double Australia's, which is why we hold the urn. :p
 

brockley

International Captain
"England Bought The World Cup" - Will This Be The Way of the Future?

England 4 foreigners plus trott in tests and one dayers.
In the english comp 80- 100 players are foreign born,with many more foreign born in 2nd xl cricket.
NZ has 8-10 foreigners in their first class comp,plus more in grade.
The success england has had this comp will more teams import players like england has done considering their success.
Will australia have to import players now to be as competitive as england.
How will s africa cope with losing so many talented cricketers.
The precedent has been set a team with the assistance of foreign players has won a world cup,will other countries follow.
 
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Smudge

Hall of Fame Member
Good to see brockley has taken the loss well. Must have thought this up inbetween his masquerading as Michael Di Venuto on Facebook.
 

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