"what was then the fastest century in Test cricket in 70 minutes, setting up an improbable England win by one wicket. The last wicket pair of Wilfred Rhodes and George Hirst nervelessly acquired the final fifteen runs needed for victory. England toured Australia in 1903–1904, the first time that the MCC had been responsible for an England tour overseas. England regained The Ashes with a 3–2 series win under the captaincy of Plum Warner. In the first Test R.E.Foster made his Test debut and scored 287 in his first ever innings – the then highest ever Test score and a"
"efforts as skipper, and amassing over 30,000 runs in his career. Simpson scored 64 centuries in all. He topped the national batting averages in 1962, with 867 runs at 54.18, and retired after the 1963 season. After retiring from playing cricket, Simpson served on the Nottinghamshire committee and was a director of Gunn and Moore. On the death of Alec Bedser on 4 April 2010, Simpson became the oldest surviving England Test cricketer. Reg Simpson Reginald Thomas Simpson (27 February 1920 – 22 November 2013) was an English cricketer, who played in 27 Tests from 1948 to 1955. Born in"
"wickets at an average of 45.30. On 12 April 1930, the last day of the final Test, Rhodes was 52 years, 165 days, making him the oldest ever Test cricketer; this remains a record in 2018. During the 1930 season, Rhodes announced his intention to retire from cricket at the end of the summer. He was finding it harder to take wickets, and the workload placed on him in the West Indies had decreased his enthusiasm for the game. By this time, Hedley Verity and Bill Bowes had emerged to strengthen the Yorkshire bowling. Through an ex-captain of Yorkshire, Harrow"
"Lists of oldest cricketers This is a set of lists of the oldest Test and first-class cricketers. Note: Twenty-two 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 . Source: Note: The above lists include players who have played Test cricket within the past 18 months and have not formally announced their retirement. ""See also Oldest living Test cricketers above."" Source: 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: 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: This"
"Test cricket was between W. G. Grace and A. P. Lucas, batting for England, in the first innings of the only Test match between England and Australia on the Australians 1880 tour of England, played at the Kennington Oval (6–8 September 1880). The current holder of the record for most centuries in Test cricket is Sachin Tendulkar of India, who has scored 51 centuries. The first One Day International (ODI) century was scored by Denis Amiss who amassed 103 runs against Australia at Old Trafford in 1972. (the second official ODI on record). Sachin Tendulkar currently holds the record for"
"Eileen Whelan Eileen Ash (née Whelan; born 30 October 1911) is a former English cricketer who played seven Test matches for England between 1937 and 1949. She is the oldest living international cricketer. Whelan played Test cricket both before and after the Second World War, making her debut against Australia at Northampton in June 1937 and playing her last game against New Zealand in Auckland in March 1949. A specialist bowler, she took 10 Test wickets at 23 runs apiece. Whelan also played representative cricket for the Civil Service, Middlesex and South of England. Outside of playing cricket, Ash was"
"Francis MacKinnon Francis Alexander MacKinnon, The 35th MacKinnon of MacKinnon DL (9 April 1848 – 27 February 1947) was the longest-lived Test cricketer until being surpassed by Eric Tindill of New Zealand on 8 November 2009. MacKinnon, who was 98 years, 324 days old when he died, was the oldest-ever first-class cricketer at that time. MacKinnon was born at Acryse Park, near Folkestone in Kent, and was educated at Harrow School. An amateur cricketer, he joined the MCC in 1870, and played first-class cricket from 1870 to 1885. He attended St John's College, Cambridge, graduating in 1871. He played cricket"
"Francis MacKinnon Francis Alexander MacKinnon, The 35th MacKinnon of MacKinnon DL (9 April 1848 – 27 February 1947) was the longest-lived Test cricketer until being surpassed by Eric Tindill of New Zealand on 8 November 2009. MacKinnon, who was 98 years, 324 days old when he died, was the oldest-ever first-class cricketer at that time. MacKinnon was born at Acryse Park, near Folkestone in Kent, and was educated at Harrow School. An amateur cricketer, he joined the MCC in 1870, and played first-class cricket from 1870 to 1885. He attended St John's College, Cambridge, graduating in 1871. He played cricket"
"is a former England rugby union international, who played one first-class match for Warwickshire against Cambridge University in 1969, and also played Minor Counties cricket for Durham in the 1970s. Chris Old Chris Old (born Christopher Middleton Old, 22 December 1948, Middlesbrough, Yorkshire) is a former English cricketer, who played 46 Tests and 32 ODIs from 1972 to 1981. A right-arm fast-medium bowler and lower order left-handed batsman, Old was a key feature of the Yorkshire side between 1969 and 1983, before finishing his career at Warwickshire in 1985. As a Test bowler for England he took 143 wickets, and"
"1976 season. He made a few first-class appearances while coach when the usual wicket-keeper was injured or unavailable: six in 1959, two in 1960 and two in 1963. Following the death of Ken Cranston on 9 January 2007, he became England's oldest living former Test cricketer. He died on Boxing Day, 2009. Arthur McIntyre (cricketer, born 1918) Arthur John William McIntyre (14 May 1918 – 26 December 2009) was an English cricketer. A wicket-keeper, he was an integral part of the Surrey side that won the County Championship in every season from 1952 to 1958 inclusive, and played in three"
"to umpire Test matches in England until 2015, when he turned 65. ECB policy requires all umpires to retire when they reach this age, in order to allow younger umpires to gain employment. Willey and fellow Northamptonshire team-mate and umpire George Sharp challenged this decision at an employment tribunal, alleging age discrimination on the part of the ECB, but lost their case. Willey is married, and has two children, including David Willey who plays for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and the England cricket team, and a grandson. According to an urban myth, it was during a Test match between the"
"and England into his fifties, and in his final Test in 1930 was, at 52 years and 165 days, the oldest player who has appeared in a Test match. Beginning his career for Yorkshire in 1898 as a slow left arm bowler who was a useful batsman, Rhodes quickly established a reputation as one of the best slow bowlers in the world. However, by the First World War he had developed his batting skills to the extent that he was regarded as one of the leading batsmen in England and had established an effective opening partnership with Jack Hobbs. The"
"Chris Old Chris Old (born Christopher Middleton Old, 22 December 1948, Middlesbrough, Yorkshire) is a former English cricketer, who played 46 Tests and 32 ODIs from 1972 to 1981. A right-arm fast-medium bowler and lower order left-handed batsman, Old was a key feature of the Yorkshire side between 1969 and 1983, before finishing his career at Warwickshire in 1985. As a Test bowler for England he took 143 wickets, and scored useful runs in the famous 1981 Ashes series' Headingley victory. The youngest of three brothers, Chris Old first made his mark in school cricket as a left handed batsman"
"Denis Begbie Denis Warburton Begbie (12 December 1914 – 10 March 2009) was a South African cricketer who played in five Tests from 1948 to 1950. He was born in Middelburg, Transvaal. At the time of his death he was the third oldest Test cricketer still living after New Zealand's Eric Tindill and fellow South African Norman Gordon. Begbie made his Test debut against England in December 1948 at the age of 34, playing the first three Tests of the five-match series. In the first Test he scored 37 and 48, falling both times to Alec Bedser, as England won"
"Gaekwad. He was distantly related to the Baroda royal family and served as the Deputy comptroller to the Baroda state. Datta Gaekwad Dattajirao Krishnarao Gaekwad (born 27 October 1928) is a former Indian cricketer. He appeared in 11 Test matches, toured England in 1952 and 1959 and West Indies in 1952–53. He captained the Indian team in the 1959 tour. As a batsman Gaekwad ""possessed a sure defence and delightfully crisp shots especially through the covers"". He was also an occasional leg spin bowler. As of 2018, he is India's oldest living Test cricketer. Gaekwad played his early cricket for"
"1990, aged 78. Joe Hardstaff Jr Joseph Hardstaff Jr (3 July 1911 – 1 January 1990) was an English cricketer, who played in twenty three Tests for England from 1935 to 1948. Hardstaff's father, Joe senior played for Nottinghamshire and England and his son, also named Joe, played first-class cricket as well. Cricket correspondent, Colin Bateman, remarked, ""Hardstaff was one of the most artistic batsmen ever to set foot on a cricket field but he paid the high price of falling out with Gubby Allen"". Hardstaff was born in Nuncargate, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire. One of the most elegant middle order batsman"
"years and 320 days old on the last day of the first Test. It says a lot about The Champion that he was still worth his place as a batsman. But he could no longer bend down, so his fielding was poor, and the Nottinghamshire crowd jeered and heckled him for it every time a ball went past him at point. Grace himself put it to the selection committee that he should be dropped for the second Test, and after some debate this is what happened. Only one man has played Test cricket at a greater age. He is Wilfred"
"the series and did not play for South Africa again. In the first Test, he bowled the last possible over of the match, and on the eighth and final ball England's ninth wicket pair of Alec Bedser and Cliff Gladwin scrambled the single run that gave the touring side victory. Following the death of Norman Gordon on 2 September 2014, Tuckett was the oldest living Test cricketer. He died on 5 September 2016 at the age of 97. Lindsay Tuckett Lindsay Tuckett (6 February 1919 – 5 September 2016) was a South African cricketer who played in nine Tests from"
"1953/54 season. He went wicketless in England's first innings, but took 5–49 in their second as the West Indies won by 140 runs. Later he went to Oxford University to study at St John's College. He played 14 matches for Oxford University in 1956, taking 44 wickets at an average of 25.77. At 39, he was the oldest player to play in the University Match. Kentish died on 10 June 2011 aged 94. At the time he was the oldest living West Indian Test cricketer, and the fourth oldest Test cricketer from any country. Esmond Kentish Esmond Seymour Maurice Kentish"
"Alastair Cook Alastair Nathan Cook, (born 25 December 1984) is an English cricketer who plays for Essex County Cricket Club, and formerly for England in all international formats. A former captain of the England Test and One-Day International (ODI) teams, he holds a number of English and international records. He is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen ever to play for England, and is one of the most prolific batsmen of the modern era. Cook is the fifth highest Test run scorer of all time. Cook is England’s most-capped player and has captained the team in an English record"
"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. England women's cricketer Eileen Whelan (born 30 October 1911) was the first female Test cricketer to attain centenarian status; she is currently aged . Thelma McKenzie (Australia, born 6 April 1915) was the second to achieve this landmark; she is currently aged . The oldest living ODI cricketer is Ray Illingworth, currently aged . The oldest living T20I cricketer is Sanath Jayasuriya, currently aged . Lists of oldest cricketers This"
"Brian Close Dennis Brian Close, (24 February 1931 – 13 September 2015) was an English first-class cricketer, the youngest man ever to play Test cricket for England. He was picked to play against New Zealand in July 1949, when he was 18 years old. Close went on to play 22 Test matches for England, captaining them seven times to six wins and one drawn test. Close also captained Yorkshire to four county championship titles – the main domestic trophy in English cricket. He later went on to captain Somerset, where he is widely credited with developing the county into a"
"an England Test player, and his own son, Jonathan, played first-class cricket for Oxford University in the 1960s. David Townsend died at age 84 in Norton, County Durham. David Townsend (cricketer, born 1912) David Charles Humphrey Townsend (20 April 1912 – 27 January 1997) was an English cricketer who played in three Tests in 1935. Born in Norton, County Durham, David Townsend was educated at Winchester College and New College, Oxford. He was a right-handed batsman, sometimes used as an opener, who holds the record of being the last cricketer to have played Test cricket for England without playing for"
"Graeme Pollock Robert Graeme Pollock (born 27 February 1944) is a former cricketer for South Africa, Transvaal and Eastern Province. A member of a famous cricketing family, Pollock is widely regarded as South Africa's greatest cricketer, and as one of the finest batsmen to have played Test cricket. Despite Pollock's international career being cut short at the age of 26 by the sporting boycott of South Africa, and all but one of his 23 Test matches being against England and Australia, the leading cricket nations of the day, he broke a number of records. His completed career Test match batting"
"1957-58, in his second-last match. Christopher Martin-Jenkins described him as ""a right-handed batsman with a fine range of scoring strokes – his batting, like the man himself, was cavalier and joyous"". He worked as a secretary-accountant. He is the last surviving member of the side that toured Australasia in 1952-53. Following the death of Lindsay Tuckett on 5 September 2016, Watkins became the oldest living Test cricketer. John Watkins (South African cricketer) John Cecil Watkins (born 10 April 1923) is a former South African cricketer who played in fifteen Tests from 1949 to 1957. He was born in Durban, Natal."
"John Childs (cricketer) John Henry Childs (born 15 August 1951, in Lipson, Plymouth, Devon) is a former English cricketer who played in two Tests for England in 1988. At the age of 36 years 320 days, Childs became the oldest player since Dick Howorth in 1947 to make his England debut. He was a left-arm spin bowler, and played his domestic cricket for Gloucestershire and Essex. Childs began his professional cricket career with Gloucestershire, staying there for ten seasons. He was released at the end of the 1984 season, and was taken on by Essex for the following season. Cricket"
"taken over 1,000 first-class wickets at under 30 apiece. Childs currently runs the Essex Youth Academy in Chelmsford. John Childs took partial retirement in September 2016. John Childs (cricketer) John Henry Childs (born 15 August 1951, in Lipson, Plymouth, Devon) is a former English cricketer who played in two Tests for England in 1988. At the age of 36 years 320 days, Childs became the oldest player since Dick Howorth in 1947 to make his England debut. He was a left-arm spin bowler, and played his domestic cricket for Gloucestershire and Essex. Childs began his professional cricket career with Gloucestershire,"
"a daughter and a son, but were divorced in 1964. He married Joanne Legg later that year; they had a son. He became the oldest living former English Test cricketer on 28 December 2006, on the death of Norman 'Mandy' Mitchell-Innes. Following his own death eleven days later in Southport, that distinction passed to Arthur McIntyre. Ken Cranston Kenneth ""Ken"" Cranston (20 October 1917 – 8 January 2007) was an English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Lancashire and eight times for England, in 1947 and 1948. He retired from playing cricket to concentrate on his career as a dentist."
"of meeting Eileen Ash, the oldest living Test cricketer (male or female) for some filming before I left for Australia, and she is easily one of the most extraordinary ladies I've ever met. She's 105, does yoga every week and I've met teenagers who have a lot less energy than she does! It was amazing to hear some of her experiences of playing cricket for England, especially the boat trips they used to have to take to play in Australia, and she also took me through her yoga routine. My pride, and a number of my muscle groups, are still"
"a courtesy title). Colin Cowdrey Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, (24 December 19324 December 2000) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Oxford University (1952–1954), Kent County Cricket Club (1950–1976) and England (1954–1975). Universally known as Colin Cowdrey, he ""delighted crowds throughout the world with his style and elegance"", and was the first cricketer to play 100 Test matches, celebrating the occasion with 104 against Australia in 1968. In all he played 114 Tests, making 7,624 runs at an average of 44.06, overtaking Wally Hammond as the most prolific Test batsman, and taking 120 catches as a"
"the age of 79 after a long illness. Wally Hardinge Harold Thomas William Hardinge (25 February 1886 — 8 May 1965), known as Wally Hardinge, was an English professional sportsman who played both cricket and association football for England. His professional cricket career lasted from 1902 to 1933 during which he played first-class cricket for Kent County Cricket Club and made one Test match appearance for England. He was described as being ""for years ... one of the leading opening batsmen in England"". He played football at the top domestic level between 1905 and 1921 for Newcastle United, Sheffield United"
"included for Test statistics, but were subsequently excluded by the ICC. Cowdrey made 22 Test Centuries to match Wally Hammond's England record, subsequently equalled by Geoff Boycott and exceeded by Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen. Of the 22 Tests in which Cowdrey made a hundred England won 10, drew 11 and lost 1, when he made 105 against South Africa at Trent Bridge in 1965. Cowdrey was the first man to score a Test century against six different nations; Australia, South Africa, the West Indies, New Zealand, India and Pakistan, all the Test nations of his day, which he did"