Kevin Pietersen:
At the age of 20, South Africa-born Kevin Pietersen moved to England after making his first-class debut for Natal, which is the first-class cricket team that represents the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. His decision to play for England was because, at that time, he raised his voice against the racial quota system in South African cricket.
However, his decision to play for England proved to be beneficial for him because he became the star performer for his team. He made the Test debut in the victorious Ashes 2005 series where he has a significant contribution in creating history. He was also the vital cog for the English team in T20 World Cup 2010 triumph as he was awarded player of the tournament.
His success in England paved the way for many other South Africans – Kyle Abbott, Simon Harmer, Rilee Rossouw and Duanne Olivier among them – to make the move to England in later years. The former cricketer has played in 104 Test matches and 136 ODIs.