Lists of oldest cricketers

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

Oldest living Test cricketers

Name	Country	Date of birth	Debut	Last match	Age as of 10 November 2024
John Watkins	South Africa	10 April 1923	24 December 1949	5 January 1957	101 years, 214 days
Don Smith	England	14 June 1923	20 June 1957	27 July 1957	101 years, 149 days
Roy Miller	West Indies	24 December 1924	11 March 1953	17 March 1953	99 years, 322 days
Everton Weekes	West Indies	26 February 1925	21 January 1948	31 March 1958	99 years, 258 days
Hubert Doggart	England	18 July 1925	18 June 1950	29 June 1950	99 years, 115 days
Doug Insole	England	18 April 1926	20 July 1950	30 May 1957	98 years, 206 days
Ronald Draper	South Africa	24 December 1926	10 February 1950	6 March 1950	97 years, 322 days
Sid O'Linn	South Africa	5 May 1927	9 June 1960	29 December 1961	97 years, 189 days
Imtiaz Ahmed	Pakistan	5 January 1928	16 October 1952	20 August 1962	96 years, 310 days

Oldest living Test cricketers by country

• Australia: Ken Archer – 96 years, 298 days
• Bangladesh: Enamul Haque – 58 years, 257 days
• England: Don Smith – 101 years, 149 days
• India: Datta Gaekwad – 96 years, 14 days
• New Zealand: John Richard Reid – 96 years, 160 days
• Pakistan: Imtiaz Ahmed – 96 years, 310 days
• South Africa: John Watkins – 101 years, 214 days
• Sri Lanka: Somachandra de Silva – 82 years, 152 days
• West Indies: Roy Miller – 99 years, 322 days
• Zimbabwe: John Traicos – 77 years, 177 days

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 110 years, 46 days.

Source:

Oldest Test cricketers still playing at Test level

Misbah-ul-Haq, oldest current Test cricketer

Namelll	Country	Date of birth	Debut	Age as at 10 November 2024
Misbah-ul-Haq	Pakistan	28 May 1974	08 March 2001	50 years, 166 days
Younis Khan	Pakistan	29 November 1977	26 February 2000	46 years, 347 days
Rangana Herath	Sri Lanka	19 March 1978	22 September 1999	46 years, 296 days
Zulfiqar Babar	Pakistan	10 December 1978	14 October 2013	45 years, 336 days
Imran Tahir	South Africa	27 March 1979	9 November 2011	45 years, 228 days
Adam Voges	Australia	4 October 1979	3 June 2015	45 years, 37 days
Harbhajan Singh	India	3 July 1980	25 March 1998	44 years, 130 days
Mohammad Hafeez	Pakistan	17 October 1980	20 August 2003	44 years, 24 days

Oldest Test cricketers still playing at Test level, by country

• Australia: Adam Voges – 45 years, 37 days
• Bangladesh: Abdur Razzak – 42 years, 148 days
• England: Gareth Batty – 47 years, 28 days
• India: Harbhajan Singh – 44 years, 129 days
• New Zealand: Luke Ronchi – 43 years, 201 days
• Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq – 50 years, 166 days
• South Africa: Imran Tahir – 45 years, 228 days
• Sri Lanka: Rangana Herath – 46 years, 236 days
• West Indies: Marlon Samuels – 43 years, 279 days

Note: The above lists include players who have played Test cricket within the past 12 months (Zimbabwe are excluded as they have not played a Test since November 2014) and have not formally announced their retirement.

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
Lindsay Tuckett	South Africa	6 February 1919	7 June 1947	9 March 1949	5 September 2016	105 years, 278 days
Jack Kerr	New Zealand	28 December 1910	27 June 1931	27 July 1937	27 May 2007	96 years, 150 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
Andy Ganteaume	West Indies	22 January 1921	11 February 1948	16 February 1948	17 February 2016	103 years, 293 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
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:

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

• 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)
• 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.

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. 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.

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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

• 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)
• 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).

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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	John Manners	Hampshire, Combined Services	25 September 1914	Living	110 years, 46 days	Living in England
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	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 113 years, 11 days. Thelma McKenzie (Australia, born 6 April 1915) became second to achieve this landmark.