Let us see the top 10 oldest players in ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. We will see their ages and discuss a little about their performances and skills. Any good cricket team needs a healthy balance of youth and experience.
Cricket is not just a game of strength, skills, fitness, and intelligence, but also of temperament and character. Most senior players which we will see in this article, bring with them almost all of these qualities.
They are the greatest assets to their teams. They have the ability to uplift the team with just their sheer presence. Also, they can skillfully rescue the team out from most of the difficult situations in the match. Here are the top 10 oldest but most important players in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
1. Imran Tahir (SA)-40 years 64 days
Imran Tahir’s age will be 40 years 64 days on May 30, 2019, i.e. on the first day of the World Cup 2019. And that makes him the oldest player in the World Cup 2019.
Imran Tahir is a great inspiration to many, who has shown us that age and energy levels have no connection. At the age of 40, Imran Tahir still carries the energy and enthusiasm of a teenager. It is reflected not only in his bowling, fielding, and celebrations but also in his talking in the presentations and interviews. He is always so full of life, optimism, and zeal.
I will be watching him closely in the ICC World Cup 2019 one final time. As many of you know, he has already announced that he will retire after the World Cup.
2. Chris Gayle (WI)-39 years 251 days
It is really hard to imagine West Indies ODI team without the opening batsman Chris Gayle.
He has been serving the team and entertaining cricket fans all over the world for decades since his ODI debut in September 1999 against India. He owns the universe of cricket like a boss. He sends balls into the crowd’s area just like NASA sends satellites into space. Yes, he doesn’t like to run singles or doubles, but why run, when you can hit and send the ball into the galaxy. That’s how the Universe boss rolls!
On May 30, 2019, he will be 39 years 251 days old. The second-oldest player in the ICC World Cup 2019.
3. Mohammad Hafeez (Pak)-38 years 224 days
Mohammad Hafeez made his Test and ODI debut in 2003 and since then he has made many memorable winning contributions to Pakistan’s cricket team both with the bat and the ball.
He recently retired from Test cricket to focus on the ODIs and especially the ICC World Cup 2019.
On May 30, 2019, Hafeez will be exactly 38 years 224 days old. Thus, he is third on our list of top 10 oldest players to play in ICC World Cup 2019.
Pakistan team certainly looks solid with experienced Hafeez in the side.
4. MS Dhoni (Ind)-37 years 309 days
What can I say about MS Dhoni? He is the James Bond 007 of the cricket world. Smartest minds with some of the smartest plans, which are sometimes beyond the understanding of many. Like James Bond, he stays in the match till the end and then finishes off in style in the climax. A thrilling climax! And his brilliant plans and advice from behind the stumps are custom made for getting a particular batsman out. The way he understands the weaknesses of different batsmen and formulates the tactics against them is just mind-blowing. Also, he has set a new benchmark in the art and technique of great wicket-keeping.
On May 30, 2019, his age will be 37 years 309 days.
No doubt he is one of the most intelligent players, but what is more astonishing is that he is still one of the fittest and the quickest in the business.
To manage this top level of cricket at this age fills me with awe, wonder and immense respect for Thala (the leader)!
5. Shoaib Malik (Pak)-37 years 117 days
Shoaib Malik is a massive asset to the current Pakistan cricket team.
He is the former captain, a very reliable batsman who can bat in any position, and also a very good spin bowler with around 150+ wickets in the ODIs.
Malik brings with him his great tactical caliber, his experience, his amazing fitness and most importantly his ability to stay calm in all circumstances.
On May 30, 2019, his age will be 37 years 117 days and is fifth on our list of the oldest players in ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
[su_box title=”Also See” style=”glass” box_color=”#0E1E8E” radius=”2″] 2019-2021 ICC World Test Championship Points System, All Teams Schedule & More
Ten Cricketers Who Scored a Hat-trick of ODI Centuries
Tendulkar, Lara, Kohli, Waugh & Other Cricketers with MRF Bats[/su_box]
6. Jeevan Mendis (SL)-36 years 135 days
Sri Lanka has given a lot of good players who played way beyond the normal age of retirement and they were all good performers till the day of the retirement.
Muralitharan, Rangana Herath, and Sanath Jayasuriya are some of the names which immediately come to mind.
Jeevan Mendis is another senior Sri Lankan who is serving Sri Lanka effectively even at the age of 36+ years.
On May 30, he would be 36 years 135 days old. Thus Jeevan Mendis is sixth on the list of top 10 oldest players in ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
Jeevan Mendis’ participation in the World cup 2019 is a big surprise to me. You ask me why? His Age?
No! Not because of his age. But because of his last ODI appearance. He last played ODI in 2015 and that too in the World Cup 2015. Which cricketer plays World Cup to World Cup with no match in between?
Anyway, he is a good leg-spin option and a great left-handed batsman who can hit the ball out of the boundary with ease. Sri Lanka will definitely benefit from his experience and all-rounder capabilities.
7. Hashim Amla (SA)-36 years 60 days
On May 30, 2019, Hashim Amla will be 36 years 60 days. Hashim Amla has always been the most important pillar of the South African batting lineup.
He has an ODI average of almost 50, which is enough to give an idea about the class and skills of this man.
However, in recent matches, Hashim Amla has struggled to gather runs. But we know, all players go through some bad phase at some point in their career. And genius players always find a way to make a stronger comeback and shut up their critics once again.
I firmly believe Amla will come back in form in the mega tournament and help South Africa cruise forward in the World Cup 2019.
8. Dale Steyn (SA)-35 years 337 days
Stunning Steyn will be 35 years 337 days old on the first day of the World Cup 2019.
ICC Test Cricketer of the Year 2008 and Wisden Leading Cricketer of the Year 2013, Steyn knows how to dominate the opposition batting by firing balls like bullets.
However, the only thing which has stopped him from complete domination is his own injuries.
He had earlier broken his right shoulder in a Test in Perth in 2016. Due to which he had missed the ICC Champions trophy 2017 in England.
Later, when he recovered from that, he damaged his left heel in the first Test itself, against India in early 2018.
But he came back stronger. Later in December 2018, he broke the record of South Africa’s leading Test wicket-taker. He surpassed Shaun Pollock’s 421 wicket record.
Recently he suffered from some shoulder inflammation in the few IPL games he played for RCB in 2019. The injury is not serious this time. Hopefully, he will be fit and fine for the Cricket World Cup 2019 soon.
9. Shaun Marsh (Aus)-35 years 325 days
On May 30, 2019, Shaun Marsh will become 35 years 325 days old i.e. almost 36 years.
Shaun Marsh had a roller-coaster career so far. He had to get in and get out of the team a number of times. After his debut in 2008, Marsh has played only 71 matches so far. However, amidst all these ups and downs, he has been able to maintain a nice batting average of 41+.
Also, in the past 12 months, he did bat responsibly and helped Australia in many important matches. These innings were important since Steve Smith and David Warner were not in the team to share the batting responsibilities.
With Steve Smith and David Warner back in the squad, and Shaun being in good touch, Team Australia once again is looking strong and balanced. Thus, Australia seems to be a major contender for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
10. Lasith Malinga (SL)-35 years 275 days
Lasith Malinga is the 10th person on our list of the oldest players to play the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
When in IPL 2018, I saw Lasith Malinga being the bowling mentor for Mumbai Indians, I thought he may retire from the Sri Lanka ODI team soon.
But surprisingly, he was back as one of the main bowlers for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2019. In the IPL 2019 final, Lasith bowled the last winning ball and helped Mumbai Indians to win the IPL 2019 title, in a thrilling last-ball finish.
On May 30, 2019, Malinga will be 35 years 275 years old.
I am very excited to see experienced Lasith Malinga once again lead the Sri Lanka bowling attack in the ICC World cup 2019.
Other players in the oldest players list:
Other players and their age as on May 30, 2019:
11. Mashrafe Mortaza, the captain of Bangladesh Team (35 years 237 days)
12. Ross Taylor from New Zealand (35 years 82 days)
13. JP Duminy from South Africa (35 years 45 days)
14. Faf Du Plessis, the South Africa Team captain (34 years 320 days)
15. Mohd. Nabi, former Afghanistan Team captain (34 years 148 days)
16. Kedar Jadhav from India (34 years 64 days)
17. Liam Plunkett from England (34 years 53 days)
Thus we saw the names, ages, and details of the top 10 oldest players in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. Looking at these big names and the things they can do, I certainly feel age is just a number. Cause these players can perform many times better than most other young members in their squads. This might be the last World cup for these big names. It will be their last chance to compete in the biggest cricket tournament in the world. And it is our last chance to see them play with utmost dedication and determination for winning the World Cup for their country.
Sources:
- Wikipedia for age details
Related reading:
- Interesting FAQs related to ICC WorldCup 2019
- All Top Batting, Bowling & Fielding Stats from ICC World Cup 2019
- Cricket Schedules and Results This Week, This Month
- Quick Results Summary of All Warm-Up Matches ahead of Cricket World Cup 2019
- 2019 Big Bash League All Teams, Players, Squads, Schedule
- 2019-2021 ICC World Test Championship Points System, All Teams Schedule & More
- 2019 Mzansi Super League Teams, Players, Squads & Schedule
Leave a Reply