Age is often considered a big factor in cricket, the older you get, the more your powers wane. In the game of cricket, players tend to retire when they reach the age of 35 or more. The experts of the game believe that when a player reaches the age of 30, many players witness a downfall in reflexes, concentration, patience, and stamina. Despite that, some have proved that age is just a number, and has nothing to do with performance.
Today we take a look at the oldest players to make their debut in Test Cricket.
1) Nelson Betancourt
A wicket-keeper batsman from the West Indies, Nelson Betancourt, made his debut at the age of 42 years and 242 days against England in February 1930. Betancourt's debut game turned out to be the only match in his Test career. Incidentally, he was also the skipper of the West Indies team on his debut game, scoring just 52 runs from his two innings
2) Herbert Ironmonger
A left-arm spinner from Australia, Herbert Ironmonger was the fourth oldest cricketer to debut in Tests. At the age of 46 years and 237 days against England at Brisbane in November 1928, the Queensland cricketer made his debut. In that game, the Aussie’s magical spin was on showcase as he grabbed two wickets each in both innings. Overall, he has played 14 Tests for Australia and collected 74 wickets.
3) Donald Dearness Blackie
Another Aussie on the list, Donald Dearness Blackie, an off-spinner from Victoria was the oldest man to represent Australia. Making his debut at the age of 46 years and 256 days against England in December 1928. The Bendigo-born grabbed a four-wicket haul in his first game. Appearing in 3 Tests in his short career, he went on to take 14 wickets.
4) Miran Bakhsh
From Pakistan, Miran Baksh is another off-spinner on the list. He became the second oldest debutant in Test history when the right-arm played his first game at the age of 47 years and 284 days against India at Lahore in January 1955. The Rawalpindi-born spin bowler grabbed two wickets in his debut match. Baksh then played the final Test of his career for Pakistan in his second match picking up no wickets.
5) James Southerton
The English cricketer James Southerton was amongst a special group of players who played the first-ever Test in the history of cricket, where all the players and umpires made their debuts. Southerton stood at 49 years and 119 days when making his debut. During the game played between Australia and England in March 1877, Southerton picked up three wickets in that match. The Sussex cricketer went on to play 2 Tests and grabbed seven wickets in his Test career.
A special mention goes to O Goker, as he is the oldest player in history to make an international debut at the age of 59, When he played a T20I, debuting for Turkey against Romania. Showing grit and determination, players like these prove age is just a number. Let us know your comments on how age is a factor and which debutant impressed you the most.
