Five oldest cricketers to make their Test debut

James Southerton

Age on debut: 49y 119d

Match: England v Australia, at Melbourne (15 Mar 1877)

Englishman James Southerton was nearly 50 years old when he played in the first ever Test match in history in March 1877. His record has stood the test of time and it’s doubtful that it will ever be broken. Southerton had a successful first-class career, playing 286 games and 1,682 wickets at an average of 14.43. Southerton retired from cricket at the age of 52 and died just 10 months later, becoming the first ever Test cricketer to die.