List of Oldest Players to Play Cricket

Oldest Players: Cricket is a sport that requires a lot of mental and physical strength during each game. Like most other popular sports around the world, cricket players tend to quit when they reach a certain age. This is because they can’t handle the constant mental and physical stress that this sport requires. In cricket, the average age to retire is thought to be between 35 and 40 years old. But despite these odds, some players have kept playing their favourite game of cricket even when they were much older. Let’s look at the top 10 list of old cricket players who played the sport on an international level.

Top 10 Oldest Players to Play Cricket

1. Wilfred Rhodes

Wilfred Rhodes was an English cricketer who played for England from 1899 to 1930. Rhodes was born on July 8, 1973, and he played his first game against Australia on June 1, 1899. He played in a total of 58 Test games with the team. On April 3, 1930, he played his last Test game against West Indies at Sabina Park. When his international cricket career was over, he was 52 years and 165 days old. This puts Wilfred Rhodes at the top of this list of old cricket players who have ever played the game.

2. Bert Ironmonger

An Australian batsman who hit the ball with his left hand is the second player on this list of old cricket players who have played the game in its history. Bert played in 14 Test cricket games with the official team. He made his debut on November 30, 1928, against England at the Exhibition Ground. On February 23, 1933, he played his last Test match against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground. He was 50 years old and 327 days old.

3. W.G. Grace

W.G. Grace, an English cricketer, was born on July 18, 1848. On September 6, 1880, at the Kennington Oval, he played his first Test match for England. The game was against Australia. In his career, he played a total of 22 Test matches. The last one, against Australia at Trent Bridge on June 1, 1899, when he was 50 years and 320 days old, was his last. He is the third person on this list of old cricket players who used to play this sport.

4. George Gunn

On December 13, 1907, English cricketer George Gunn played his first game for the English men’s team against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground. In the 15 games he played, he scored a total of 1120 runs, with a high of 122 runs and a strike rate of 84.08. He played his last game on April 3, 1930, against West Indies. He was 50 years old and 303 days old at the time.

5. James Southerton

The English cricketer James Southerton is the fifth person on the list of old cricket players who have ever played the game. On March 15, 1877, he played his first international Test match against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Sixteen days later, he played his last international match against the same team at the same place. When he played his last cricket match, he was 49 years and 139 days old. He had only played two Test matches in his short career. James is also the oldest person to play cricket for the first time in history.

6. Miran Bakhsh

Miran Bakhsh, who was born in Rawalpindi and plays cricket for Pakistan, is the sixth person on this list of old cricket players who have played the sport since it began. Baksh had also only played two matches in his career. On January 29, 1955, he played his first Test match against India, and on February 13, 1955, he played his last match against the same team. Bakhsh played his last game when he was 47 years and 302 days old. He is the second-oldest cricket player to ever play his first game.

7. Sir Jack Hobbs

Sir Jack Hobbs was an English cricketer who was born on December 16, 1882. On January 1, 1908, he played his first international game against Australia. He played in a total of 61 Tests and scored a total of 5,410 runs. Hobbs’s last game was also against Australia. It was on August 16, 1930, and he was 47 years and 249 days old. He was the seventh person on the list of old cricket players to have played.

A Table of These Players with Statistics

Sl. No	Player Name	Country	Test Debut	Last Test	Last Appearance at Age
1	Wilfred Rhodes	England	01-06-1899	03-04-1930	52 years, 165 days
2	Bert Ironmonger	Australia	30-11-1928	23-02-1933	50 years, 327 days
3	W.G Grace	England	06-09-1880	01-06-1899	50 years, 320 days
4	George Gunn	England	13-12-1907	03-04-1930	50 years, 303 days
5	James Southerton	England	15-03-1877	31-03-1877	49 years, 139 days
6	Miran Bakhsh	Pakistan	29-01-1955	13-02-1955	47 years, 301 days
7	Sir Jack Hobbs	England	01-01-1908	16-08-1930	47 years, 249 days
8	Frank Woolley	England	09-08-1909	18-08-1934	47 years, 87 days
9	Don Blackie	Australia	14-12-1928	01-02-1929	46 years, 309 days
10	Herbert Strudwick	England	01-01-1910	14-08-1926	46 years, 202 days