When sportspeople start to be known just by their last name, it often means they could become top-level stars. Some achieve this, making their name famous worldwide, especially when it’s displayed on the back of their shirt.
But in the 145-year history of men’s international cricket, there have been many instances where players with the same last name played for their countries.
Let’s explore the 10 last names that have been most common among men’s international cricketers.
10. Islam – 21 cricketers
A total of 21 international cricketers named ‘Islam’ have played for their national teams. Most of them have represented the Bangladesh cricket team, with 17 out of 21 being from there.
In Bangladesh, it’s common for people to use their nicknames as their official last names. Some of these cricketers have Islam as their middle name, despite having well-known nicknames. Among the current Test cricketers, Taijul, Shadman, and Shoriful Islam are notable. Taijul has been particularly successful, taking 158 wickets in 38 Test matches.
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9. Kumar – 21 cricketers
In central and eastern India, ‘Kumar’ is commonly used as a middle name, while in other parts of India and Sri Lanka, it’s often a first name. Overall, there have been 21 ‘Kumars’ who have played international cricket. Interestingly, 75 percent of them have represented national teams other than India and Sri Lanka.
Among Indian ‘Kumars’, four have played for their own country, all of them primarily as bowlers. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is particularly notable, alongside pacers like Praveen Kumar and Vinay Kumar, and leg-spinner Vaman Kumar.
Bhuvneshwar and Praveen both have ‘Singh’ as a family name, but they are listed with ‘Kumar’ as their last name by the BCCI. They come from Uttar Pradesh and are similar types of fast bowlers, known for their skill in swing bowling against batsmen.
8. Taylor – 23 cricketers
Twenty-three cricketers have a last name that sounds like a job that makes clothes. This name is common in cricket in Oceania, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Seventeen of these cricketers have played Test cricket.
Some well-known cricketers with the last name ‘Taylor’ have had successful careers internationally. Brendan and Jerome Taylor are among them, but Ross and Mark Taylor are especially notable for their big achievements.
Ross and Mark Taylor have each scored more than 10,000 runs in international cricket. Ross, a left-handed opener and former captain of Australia, is famous for leading his team to many wins. During his time as captain, Australia won 62 out of 117 matches in Tests and ODIs.
7. Silva – 24 cricketers
In Sri Lanka, the name ‘Silva’ is quite common. Out of 24 people named ‘Silva’, 20 have played cricket for their country. Thirteen of them have the prefix ‘de’ in their names.
However, none of them have made as big an impact on Sri Lankan cricket as Aravinda de Silva did in the 1990s. He was nicknamed ‘Mad Max’ and remains the only cricketer to both take three wickets and score a hundred in a men’s ODI World Cup final.
Aravinda de Silva also holds several other notable batting records, with a total of 15,645 runs and 145 wickets across 401 international matches.
Another notable cricketer with a similar surname is Joshua da Silva, the current West Indies Test wicket-keeper. He scored his first Test century earlier this year against England, helping the West Indies achieve a memorable series victory with his determined batting performance.
6. Smith – 43 cricketers
In Australian cricket, the name ‘Smith’ is very common. When you hear ‘Smith’, you might think of several notable faces. There have been 43 people with the surname ‘Smith’ who have played cricket at the international level.
Out of these 43, seventeen have played for the England men’s cricket team at some point. Robin Smith, originally from South Africa, has played the most Test matches among them, with 62 matches. In these matches, he scored a total of 4,236 runs.
When people hear ‘Smith’ in cricket, they often think of two particular players: former South African captain Graeme and current Australian star Steve.
Graeme is noted for leading his team to 53 Test match victories over 11 years, which is the most among all Test captains.
Steve, originally a leg-spinner, is now considered one of the top batsmen in the world. He has scored 13,548 runs across three different formats, proving himself as a highly accomplished player.
5. Patel – 48 cricketers
In western India, the title ‘Patel’ is common, and 48 Patels have played international cricket. However, only nine of them represented India. Sixteen played for African countries, three for New Zealand, and the rest for European or American nations.
Notable Indian cricketers with the Patel surname include Brijesh, Parthiv, Munaf, Axar, and Harshal Patel. Except for Harshal, all four have played Test cricket for India. Munaf also won the ODI World Cup with India in 2011.
Among the 48 cricketers, Ajaz Patel of New Zealand stands out. He holds the record for taking all 10 wickets in a single innings of a Test match but still ended up on the losing side against India in Mumbai last year.
Unfortunately, Patel’s teammates couldn’t capitalize on his achievement, scoring poorly in both innings and losing the match and the series to India.
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4. Singh – 64 cricketers
‘Singh’ is a very common surname among Indian Test cricketers. A total of 19 cricketers with the surname Singh have played Test cricket for India. Interestingly, the first Indian cricketer with the surname Singh to play Test cricket was Amar Singh.
Apart from India, 45 other cricketers with the surname Singh have played for 27 different countries, mostly in teams associated with cricket.
Among the 19 Indian cricketers named Singh, Harbhajan and Yuvraj are notable for their achievements. Harbhajan is one of India’s top spin bowlers in Test cricket, with the fourth-highest number of wickets for India. Yuvraj is renowned for his success in white-ball cricket and played a crucial role in India’s victories in the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup.
3. Ali – 67 cricketers
67 cricketers have the same last name as one of the greatest boxers ever, Muhammad Ali. In international cricket, 21 male cricketers also share the last name Ali.
While it’s more common among cricketers from the Indian subcontinent, some players from outside this region have also made a big impact in international cricket. One notable example is England’s Moeen Ali.
Moeen is known for his skills in both batting and bowling. He joined the England team in 2014 mainly for his off-break bowling and has been an important player for them ever since.
2. Ahmed/Ahmad/Ahamad/Ahamed – 76 cricketers
There are many international cricketers with the last name ‘Ahmed’, spelled in different ways. In total, 76 players have used one of these variations.
Among them, 22 have played for Pakistan, with 19 participating in Test cricket. Notable figures include Ijaz Ahmed, who was crucial for Pakistan’s batting in the 1990s, and Sarfaraz Ahmed, who led Pakistan to victory in the 2017 Champions Trophy.
Apart from Pakistan, cricketers with variations of ‘Ahmed’ have represented 23 other countries. Some well-known examples include Indian bowler Khaleel Ahmed and Bangladeshi fast bowler Taskin Ahmed.
1. Khan – 89
The surname ‘Khan’ is widely known in international cricket, with 89 cricketers across 32 countries bearing this title. Pakistan leads with 28 ‘Khans’ in their national team. Among them, Imran Khan stands out as one of cricket’s greatest captains and all-rounders. He even served as Pakistan’s Prime Minister for four years. Imran famously came out of retirement to lead Pakistan to victory in the 1992 World Cup.
One notable contemporary ‘Khan’ is Afghan leg-spinner Rashid Khan, who is celebrated among cricket fans. He holds the record for being the youngest captain (19 years and 165 days) to lead an international ODI team. Rashid achieved this milestone in 2018 during an ICC World Cup Qualifier match against Scotland in Bulawayo.
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