June 27, 2020, is the 40th birthday of Kevin Pietersen, a South Africa-born cricketer who had a successful career playing for England. This quiz is about sportspersons who were born in one country and represented another.
Country codes
1 This footballer played two friendly matches for the Brazilian senior team in 2013. The same year he declared his intention to represent Spain. He made his debut for Spain the next year and has represented Spain in 24 internationals. Name this Atlético Madrid star.
2 Two brothers. The elder changed nationalities and decided to play for Albania though he was born in Basel. The younger one is a star for the Swiss national team and Arsenal. Name both.
3 This NBA centre was drafted from the University of Houston in 1984, ahead of Michael Jordan, and won two titles for the Houston Rockets in the ’90s. Born in Nigeria, he played for their junior team in 1980. He finally qualified to represent the US in 1993, and played on the second edition of the Dream Team in 1996. Name this basketball star.
4 Which cricketer met his future life partner while representing his country of birth in the 1998 U-19 World Cup? He finally migrated to the country where he met her and has represented it with great success in international cricket.
5 He was born in Kanpur and his father played for the United Provinces in the Ranji trophy. But he played cricket for England and coached two other countries. Name the cricketer.
6 If Martina Navratilova defected from erstwhile Czechoslovakia and played for the US, which country did the next big women’s star from Czechoslovakia, Hana Mandlikova, represent?
7 Bobby Fischer was an American chess grandmaster and world champion in the ’70s. Which country did he represent at the end of his playing days, dying there in 2008?
8 This footballer was born in Jamaica and named after a Welsh football legend. He moved to England when he was 12 and played 79 times for England. He later returned to coach the country of his birth. Name this skilful winger.
9 He was born in Chennai in 1966. Though he didn’t play for India, he scored his first Test century against India six years after his international debut. Name this batsman whose elder brother also played first-class cricket.
10 Tatiana Grigorieva was a national-level hurdler in Russia. But after she migrated to Australia in 1997, she took up another discipline, and became world class within a year. In 1998, she won a bronze in the Goodwill Games and followed that with a silver in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. What did she switch to doing?
Answers
1 Diego Costa
2 Taulant and Granit Xhaka. Taulant plays for Basel FC and Albania. They played against each other in Euro 2016.
3 Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon.
4 Imran Tahir, South Africa. He represented Pakistan in the ’98 World Cup.
5 Bob Woolmer; he coached South Africa and Pakistan.
6 Australia. She won four Grand Slam singles titles, including two Australian Open titles.
7 Iceland, which had offered him citizenship in 2004.
8 John Barnes, named after John Charles
9 Nasser Hussain; his elder brother Mehriar also played for Worcestershire.
10 Grigorieva chose to pole vault, with a personal best of 4.56m.
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