Lists of oldest cricketers

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

Oldest living Test cricketers

Arthur Morris, oldest living Australian Test cricketer
Name Country Date of birth Debut Last match Age as of 30 April 2015
Lindsay Tuckett South Africa 6 February 1919 7 June 1947 5 March 1949 96 years, 83 days
Andy Ganteaume West Indies 22 January 1921 11 February 1948 16 February 1948 94 years, 98 days
Arthur Morris Australia 19 January 1922 29 November 1946 11 June 1955 93 years, 101 days
John Watkins South Africa 10 April 1923 24 December 1949 5 January 1957 92 years, 20 days
Don Smith England 14 June 1923 20 June 1957 27 July 1957 91 years, 320 days
Fred Ridgway England 10 August 1923 2 November 1951 10 February 1952 91 years, 263 days
Roy Miller West Indies 24 December 1924 11 March 1953 17 March 1953 90 years, 127 days
Ian Smith South Africa 23 February 1925 7 June 1947 28 December 1957 90 years, 66 days
Everton Weekes West Indies 26 February 1925 21 January 1948 31 March 1958 90 years, 63 days

Oldest living Test cricketers by country

Note: Eighteen 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 100 years, 217 days.

Source:[1]

Oldest Test cricketers still playing at Test level

Misbah-ul-Haq, oldest current Test cricketer
Namelll Country Date of birth Debut Age as at
30 April 2015
Misbah-ul-Haq Pakistan 28 May 1974 8 March 2001 40 years, 337 days
Shivnarine Chanderpaul West Indies 16 August 1974 17 May 1994 40 years, 257 days
Chris Rogers Australia 31 August 1977 16 January 2008 37 years, 242 days
Saeed Ajmal Pakistan 14 October 1977 4 July 2009 37 years, 198 days
Brad Haddin Australia 23 October 1977 22 May 2008 37 years, 189 days
Kumar Sangakkara Sri Lanka 27 October 1977 20 July 2000 37 years, 185 days
Younis Khan Pakistan 29 November 1977 26 February 2000 37 years, 152 days

Oldest Test cricketers still playing at Test level, by country

Note: The above lists include players who have played Test cricket within the past 12 months and have not formally announced their retirement. The previous oldest active Test player, Sachin Tendulkar (born 24 April 1973), retired from Test cricket on 16 November 2013 at the age of 40 years, 206 days.

Oldest Test cricketers

Bill Brown, longest-lived Australian Test cricketer
Name Country Date of birth Debut Last match Date of death Age
Norman Gordon South Africa 6 August 1911 24 December 1938 14 March 1939 2 September 2014 103 years, 27 days
Eric Tindill New Zealand 18 December 1910 26 June 1937 25 March 1947 1 August 2010 99 years, 226 days
Francis MacKinnon England 9 April 1848 2 January 1879 4 January 1879 27 February 1947 98 years, 324 days
Jack Kerr New Zealand 28 December 1910 27 June 1931 27 July 1937 27 May 2007 96 years, 150 days
Lindsay Tuckett South Africa 6 February 1919 7 June 1947 9 March 1949 Living 96 years, 83 days
Wilfred Rhodes England 29 October 1877 1 June 1899 12 April 1930 8 July 1973 95 years, 252 days
Bill Brown Australia 31 July 1912 8 June 1934 29 June 1948 16 March 2008 95 years, 229 days
Lindsay Weir New Zealand 2 June 1908 24 January 1930 17 August 1937 31 October 2003 95 years, 151 days
Sydney Barnes England 19 April 1873 13 December 1901 18 February 1914 26 December 1967 94 years, 251 days
Esmond Kentish West Indies 21 November 1916 27 March 1948 21 January 1954 10 June 2011 94 years, 201 days
M. J. Gopalan India 6 June 1909 5 January 1934 8 January 1934 21 December 2003 94 years, 198 days
Ron Hamence Australia 25 November 1915 28 February 1947 5 January 1948 24 March 2010 94 years, 119 days
Denis Begbie South Africa 12 December 1914 6 December 1948 6 March 1950 10 March 2009 94 years, 88 days
Jack Newman New Zealand 3 July 1902 27 February 1932 3 April 1933 23 September 1996 94 years, 82 days
Andy Ganteaume West Indies 22 January 1921 11 February 1948 16 February 1948 Living 94 years, 98 days
Don Cleverley New Zealand 23 December 1909 27 February 1932 30 March 1946 16 February 2004 94 years, 55 days

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

Source:[2][3]

Oldest Test debutant

James Southerton, the oldest player on debut
Name Country Date of birth Debut Age
James Southerton England 16 November 1827 15 March 1877 49 years, 119 days
Miran Bakhsh Pakistan 20 April 1907 29 January 1955 47 years, 284 days
Don Blackie Australia 5 April 1882 14 December 1928 46 years, 253 days
Bert Ironmonger Australia 7 April 1882 30 November 1928 46 years, 237 days
Nelson Betancourt West Indies 4 June 1887 1 February 1930 42 years, 242 days
Rockley Wilson England 25 March 1879 25 February 1921 41 years, 337 days
Rustomji Jamshedji India 18 November 1892 15 December 1933 41 years, 27 days

Oldest Test debutant by country

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 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.[5] The longest lived first-class cricketer is believed to have been Jim Hutchinson who represented Derbyshire from 1920 until 1931 and who died aged 103 years, 344 days in 2000.

Source:[6]

Oldest Test cricketers on final appearance

Name Country Date of birth Test Debut Last match Age at last Test
Wilfred Rhodes England 29 October 1877 1 June 1899 12 April 1930 52 years, 165 days
Bert Ironmonger Australia 7 April 1882 30 November 1928 28 February 1933 50 years, 327 days
WG Grace England 18 July 1848 6 September 1880 3 June 1899 50 years, 320 days
George Gunn England 13 June 1879 13 December 1907 12 April 1930 50 years, 303 days
James Southerton England 16 November 1827 15 March 1877 4 April 1877 49 years, 139 days
Miran Bakhsh Pakistan 20 April 1907 29 January 1955 16 February 1955 47 years, 302 days
Sir Jack Hobbs England 16 December 1882 1 January 1908 22 August 1930 47 years, 249 days
Frank Woolley England 27 May 1887 9 August 1909 22 August 1934 47 years, 87 days

Oldest Test cricketers on final appearance by country

Wilfred Rhodes, England Test cricketer from 1899 until 1930

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:[7]

Oldest first-class cricketers

This list includes players who lived to 100 or more.

      Deceased       Living

Rank Name Team(s) Birth date Death date Age Nationality
1 Jim Hutchinson Derbyshire 29 November 1896 7 November 2000 103 years, 344 days  England
2 Syd Ward Wellington 5 August 1907 31 December 2010 103 years, 148 days  New Zealand
3 Norman Gordon South Africa, Transvaal 6 August 1911 2 September 2014 103 years, 27 days  South Africa
4 Rupert de Smidt Western Province 23 November 1883 3 August 1986 102 years, 253 days  South Africa
5 Edward English Hampshire 1 January 1864 5 September 1966 102 years, 247 days  England
6 Cyril Perkins Northamptonshire, Minor Counties 4 June 1911 21 November 2013 102 years, 170 days  England
7 John Wheatley Canterbury 8 January 1860 19 April 1962 102 years, 101 days  New Zealand
8 Ted Martin Western Australia 30 September 1902 9 June 2004 101 years, 253 days  Australia
9 D. B. Deodhar Hindus, Maharashtra 14 January 1892 24 August 1993 101 years, 222 days  India
10 George Harman Dublin University 6 June 1874 14 December 1975 101 years, 191 days  Ireland
11 Fred Gibson Leicestershire 13 February 1912 28 June 2013 101 years, 135 days  Jamaica (lived in  England)
12 Alan Finlayson Eastern Province 1 September 1900 28 October 2001 101 years, 57 days  South Africa
13 Neil McCorkell Hampshire, Players 23 March 1912 28 February 2013 100 years, 342 days  England
14 Charles Braithwaite English Residents, Players of USA 10 September 1845 15 April 1946 100 years, 217 days  United States
15 Harry Forsyth Dublin University 18 December 1903 19 July 2004 100 years, 214 days  Ireland
16 John Manners Hampshire, Combined Services 25 September 1914 Living 100 years, 217 days Living in  England
17 Harold Stapleton New South Wales 7 January 1915 Living 100 years, 113 days Living in  Australia
18 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.

Women cricketers

England Women's cricketer Eileen Whelan (born 30 October 1911) was the first female Test cricketer to attain centenarian status, currently aged 103 years, 182 days. Thelma McKenzie (Australia, born 6 April 1915) became second to achieve this landmark.

References

  1. ↑ Cricinfo: Oldest living players
  2. ↑ Cricinfo: Longest lived players
  3. ↑ Rediff: Oldest Test cricketers at the time of death
  4. ↑ Cricinfo: Traicos debut
  5. ↑ Cricinfo: Ripe old age
  6. ↑ BBC Test Match Special, Ask Bearders: "Can you tell me who is the oldest cricket player to make a Test match debut"
  7. ↑ Cricinfo: Oldest players