In-form Riki Wessels wants England call-up after gaining UK citizenship

Nottinghamshire batsman Riki Wessels is aiming for an England call-up after becoming a British citizen.

The 30-year-old is the son of former South Africa captain Kepler Wessels but was born in Australia while his father was playing domestic cricket for Queensland.

A wicket-keeper batsman at Nottinghamshire, Wessels has hit over 3,500 runs since joining the Trent Bridge outfit in 2011. His British citizenship comes after a four-year process, in which he had to renounce his South African citizenship.

Now that is concluded, Wessels has set his sights on his next step and told the Nottinghamshire Post: "I am now available to play for England. And that's very much an ambition. I'm only 30, in good form and feel I have a few good years left in me yet.

"It's taken a bit longer than I planned. There has been a lot of paperwork filled in over the last four years."

Wessels, who has an English wife and two-year-old daughter, explained just what he had to go through to keep his dream of playing for England alive.

"On Wednesday I had to go to a naturalisation ceremony at Welbeck Hall in West Bridgford," he said.

"I had to swear an oath to the Queen and was given a certificate. There were about 15 or 20 people there, all going through the same process."

NatWest T20 Blast Cricket

Wessels moved to Britain in 2004 and had to join Northamptonshire on an Entrepreneur Visa in 2011.

His father Kepler also changed citizenships during his career. Despite captaining South Africa, he had previously played for Australia and became the first man to play One Day International cricket for two countries.

Limited overs cricket is probably his best chance of playing for England and Wessels has not done his chances any harm after scoring a combined total of 412 runs from just five 50-over innings this season and he will provide serious competition for Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow.