Lists of oldest cricketers

This is a set of lists of the oldest Test and first-class cricketers.

Oldest living Test cricketers

Oldest living Test cricketers by country

• Afghanistan: Mohammad Nabi – 33 years, 284 days
• Australia: Ken Archer – 90 years, 268 days
• Bangladesh: Enamul Haque – 52 years, 227 days
• England: Don Smith – 95 years, 120 days
• India: Datta Gaekwad – 89 years, 350 days
• Ireland: Ed Joyce - 40 years, 20 days
• New Zealand: John Reid – 90 years, 131 days
• Pakistan: Wazir Mohammad – 88 years, 294 days
• South Africa: John Watkins – 95 years, 185 days
• Sri Lanka: Somachandra de Silva – 76 years, 123 days
• West Indies: Roy Miller – 93 years, 292 days
• Zimbabwe: John Traicos – 71 years, 148 days

Note: Twenty first-class cricketers are known to have attained centenarian status (see relevant section below). John Manners, who represented Hampshire and Combined Services amongst others, appears to be the oldest living, born 25 September 1914, thus aged 104 years, 17 days.

Source:^[1]

Oldest Test cricketers still playing at Test level

Oldest Test cricketers still playing at Test level, by country

• Afghanistan: Mohammad Nabi – 33 years, 284 days
• Australia: Shaun Marsh – 35 years, 95 days
• Bangladesh: Abdur Razzak – 36 years, 119 days
• England: Jimmy Anderson – 36 years, 74 days
• India: Murali Vijay – 34 years, 194 days
• Ireland: Tim Murtagh – 37 years, 71 days
• New Zealand: Neil Broom – 34 years, 326 days
• Pakistan: Azhar Ali – 33 years, 235 days
• South Africa: Hashim Amla – 35 years, 195 days
• Sri Lanka: Rangana Herath – 40 years, 207 days
• West Indies: Devon Smith – 36 years, 356 days
• Zimbabwe: Hamilton Masakadza – 35 years, 64 days

Note: The above lists include players who have played Test cricket within the past 18 months and have not formally announced their retirement.

Longest-lived Test cricketers

Bill Brown, longest-lived Australian Test cricketer

See also Oldest living Test cricketers above.

Note: The longest lived Pakistan Test cricketer was Aslam Khokhar, also known as Mohammad Aslam, who died aged 91 years, 17 days in January 2011.

Source:^[2][3]

Oldest Test debutants

James Southerton, the oldest player on debut

Oldest Test debutant by country

• Australia – Don Blackie (46 years, 253 days)
• Bangladesh – Enamul Haque (35 years, 58 days)
• England – James Southerton (49 years, 119 days)
• India – Rustomji Jamshedji (41 years, 27 days)
• Ireland - Ed Joyce (39 years, 232 days)
• New Zealand – Herb McGirr (38 years, 101 days)
• Pakistan – Miran Bakhsh (47 years, 284 days)
• South Africa – Omar Henry (40 years, 295 days)
• Sri Lanka – Somachandra de Silva (39 years, 251 days)
• West Indies – Nelson Betancourt (42 years, 242 days)
• Zimbabwe – Andy Waller (37 years, 84 days) Note: John Traicos debuted for Zimbabwe at the age of 45 years, 154 days, but had already played three Tests for South Africa 22 years prior.^[4]

Note: The oldest debutant, James Southerton, was also the first Test cricketer to die (on 16 June 1880). Miran Bakhsh was known as Miran Bux during his playing career.

The longest-lived first-class cricketer is believed to have been John Manners. See also Longest-lived first-class cricketers below.

Source:^[5]

Oldest Test cricketers on final appearance

Oldest Test cricketers on final appearance by country

Wilfred Rhodes, England Test cricketer from 1899 until 1930

• Australia – Bert Ironmonger (50 years, 327 days)
• Bangladesh – Mohammad Rafique (37 years, 180 days)
• England – Wilfred Rhodes (52 years, 165 days)
• India – Vinoo Mankad (41 years, 305 days)
• Ireland - Ed Joyce (39 years, 231 days)
• New Zealand – Jack Alabaster (41 years, 247 days)
• Pakistan – Miran Bakhsh (47 years, 302 days)
• South Africa – Dave Nourse (45 years, 207 days)
• Sri Lanka – Somachandra de Silva (42 years, 78 days)
• West Indies – George Headley (44 years, 236 days)
• Zimbabwe – John Traicos (45 years, 304 days)

Note: The Test career of Wilfred Rhodes spanned a record 30 years, 315 days. England's youngest Test cricketer and another Yorkshireman, Brian Close (born 24 February 1931), lies second in this regard. He made his debut against New Zealand in 1949 and was recalled, after an absence of almost nine years, to oppose West Indies in 1976 (his career lasting 26 years, 356 days).

Source:^[6]

Longest-lived first-class cricketers

This list includes all those first-class players who are known to have lived to 100.^[7]

  Deceased   Living

Rank	Name	Team(s)	Birth date	Death date	Age	Nationality
1	John Manners	Hampshire, Combined Services	25 September 1914	Living	104 years, 17 days	Living in  England
2	Jim Hutchinson	Derbyshire	29 November 1896	7 November 2000	103 years, 344 days	England
3	Syd Ward	Wellington	5 August 1907	31 December 2010	103 years, 148 days	New Zealand
4	Norman Gordon	South Africa, Transvaal	6 August 1911	2 September 2014	103 years, 27 days	South Africa
5	Rupert de Smidt	Western Province	23 November 1883	3 August 1986	102 years, 253 days	South Africa
6	Edward English	Hampshire	1 January 1864	5 September 1966	102 years, 247 days	England
7	Cyril Perkins	Northamptonshire, Minor Counties	4 June 1911	21 November 2013	102 years, 170 days	England
8	John Wheatley	Canterbury	8 January 1860	19 April 1962	102 years, 101 days	New Zealand
9	Ted Martin	Western Australia	30 September 1902	9 June 2004	101 years, 253 days	Australia
10	D. B. Deodhar	Hindus, Maharashtra	14 January 1892	24 August 1993	101 years, 222 days	India
11	George Harman	Dublin University	6 June 1874	14 December 1975	101 years, 191 days	Ireland
12	Fred Gibson	Leicestershire	13 February 1912	28 June 2013	101 years, 135 days	Jamaica (lived in  England)
13	Alan Finlayson	Eastern Province	1 September 1900	28 October 2001	101 years, 57 days	South Africa
14	Neil McCorkell	Hampshire, Players	23 March 1912	28 February 2013	100 years, 342 days	England
15	Harold Stapleton	New South Wales	7 January 1915	24 September 2015	100 years, 260 days	Australia
16	Charles Braithwaite	English Residents, Players of USA	10 September 1845	15 April 1946	100 years, 217 days	United States
17	Harry Forsyth	Dublin University	18 December 1903	19 July 2004	100 years, 214 days	Ireland
18	Jack Laver	Tasmania	9 March 1917	3 October 2017	100 years, 208 days	Australia
19	Tom Pritchard	Wellington	10 March 1917	22 August 2017	100 years, 165 days	New Zealand
20	George Deane	Hampshire	11 December 1828	26 February 1929	100 years, 77 days	England

Note: Although born in New South Wales, Australia, Syd Ward and John Wheatley appear to have been raised in New Zealand. George Harman, who acquired two Rugby Union caps for Ireland, died in Cornwall. Charles Braithwaite was born in England. Fred Gibson moved to England in 1944. Neil McCorkell was born in England, but lived in South Africa from 1951. The prominent Antiguan cricketer, Sir Sydney Walling, who died aged 102 years, 88 days in October 2009, never appeared in matches accorded first-class status.

The oldest person, and only septuagenarian, to play first-class cricket was Raja Maharaj Singh, aged 72, his sole appearance being for the Bombay Governor's XI against a Commonwealth XI in November 1950.^[8]

Oldest women cricketers

England Women's cricketer Eileen Whelan (born 30 October 1911) was the first female Test cricketer to attain centenarian status, currently aged 106 years, 347 days. Thelma McKenzie (Australia, born 6 April 1915) became second to achieve this landmark; she is currently aged 103 years, 189 days.

Oldest ODI cricketers

The oldest living ODI cricketer is Ray Illingworth, currently aged 86 years, 126 days.

Oldest T20I cricketers

The oldest living T20I cricketer is Sanath Jayasuriya, currently aged 49 years, 104 days.

References