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The foreign legion: England's overseas XI

Keaton Jennings set to join an elite group of England players to have been born overseas

If, as expected, Keaton Jennings makes his Test debut against India next week, the opener will not only become England's 675th Test cricketer.

The 24-year-old, who was born and grew up in Johannesburg, will also join some genuine greats of the game to have played a Test for England having being born in another country.

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In the wake of England-born Matthew Renshaw making his debut for Australia in Adelaide - the 24th Australian Test player to have been born overseas - Jennings is set to become the 66th foreign-born player to represent England.

And as this dream team below proves, some of England's best ever - just like Jennings - have their roots elsewhere.

1) Andrew Strauss (born in Johannesburg, South Africa)

England's 77th Test captain, Strauss was born in South Africa before moving to England as a child. He went on to play 100 Tests for his country, scoring 21 centuries and famously leading them to Ashes glory on Australian soil in 2010-11.

Image Id: 532BD4BFD34D4CF8A3B31FA686C44369 Image Caption: Andrew Strauss and Matt Prior // Getty Images

2) Colin Cowdrey (born in Bangalore, India)

The first cricketer to play 100 Test matches, Cowdrey was born on his father's tea plantation near Bangalore in India before he was sent to England as a child to further his education. He went on to play 114 Tests, captaining his country on 27 occasions.

3) Kevin Pietersen (born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa)

One of the biggest names in world cricket, Pietersen played domestically in his native South Africa before opting to relocate to England in pursuit of greater opportunities. He went on to play 104 Tests and captain his adopted country, scoring 23 centuries in the process.

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4) Nasser Hussain (born in Chennai, India)

Born in Madras (now Chennai) to an Indian father and an Anglo-Indian mother, Hussain's family moved to England when he was seven in order to further his education. He went on to play 96 Test matches, scoring 14 centuries, and captained his country on 45 occasions.

5) Ted Dexter (born in Milan, Italy)

A dashing middle-order batsman, Dexter was born in Milan in 1935 before his family returned to the UK at the break out of the Second World War. Dexter's parents returned to Italy when the conflict was over, but he continued his education in England and went on to play 62 Tests, 30 of them as captain.

Image Id: A5E669E7B9B04350A138A6DAD2B5175E Image Caption: Ted Dexter and Nasser Hussain // Getty Images

6) Tony Greig (born in Queenstown, South Africa)

Having developed cricketing ties to English county side Sussex through his education on South Africa's eastern cape, Greig trialled at the county when aged 19 and set himself a goal of playing for England. He achieved his dream and then some, playing for his adopted country 58 times (including 14 as captain) before forging a strong career in the media.

7) Ben Stokes (born in Christchurch, New Zealand)

The son of a talented New Zealand rugby league player, Stokes moved from his home on the south island to the north-west of England at the age of 12 when his father took up a professional coaching job with Workington. Still only 25, Stokes already has four centuries and 78 wickets from 30 Tests and has a long and bright future ahead of him.

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8) Matt Prior (born in Johannesburg, South Africa)

Born to an English father and a South African mother, Prior moved to his father's homeland at the age of 11. He played 79 Tests in a hugely successful period of England cricket between 2007 and 2014, averaging 40 with the bat and claiming 256 dismissals.

9) Phillip De Freitas (born in Scotts Head, Dominica)

Born on the small Caribbean island of Dominica, De Freitas moved to England as a boy and has always regarded himself as English. A talented football player, he chose a career in cricket and took more than 250 wickets across Tests and ODIs for England, including 37 wickets in 13 Ashes Tests.

10) Andy Caddick (born in Christchurch, New Zealand)

A tall fast bowler whose action has similarities to that of fellow Cantabrian Sir Richard Hadlee, Caddick played junior cricket for New Zealand before moving to England in his late teens due to what he felt was a lack of opportunity in his homeland. He went on to play 62 Tests for his adopted country, with then New Zealand skipper Ken Rutherford lamenting in 1994 how a bowler of Caddick's quality "slipped through the net".

Image Id: D12E8D28EE814E6EA3E0BF6D24C3140C Image Caption: Nasser Hussain and Andy Caddick // Getty Images

11) Devon Malcolm (born in Kingston, Jamaica)

Having grown up in the Jamaican capital, Malcolm moved to Sheffield at the age of 15 and played county cricket for Derbyshire before making his Test debut in the 1989 Ashes series. A ferocious fast-bowler who terrified batsmen on his day, Malcolm took 128 wickets in 40 Tests.

12) Graeme Hick (born in Harare, Zimbabwe)

Having shown plenty of ability in his native Zimbabwe, which had yet to be granted Test status, Hick first came to England in 1984 to further his career in county cricket. Having dominated the county circuit and with his homeland seemingly no closer to gaining Test status, Hick fulfilled the criteria to qualify for England and went on to play 65 Tests for his adopted country.

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