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Oldest Test Team?

chaminda_00

Hall of Fame Member
There is a lot of talk around Australia that Micheal Clarke might get dropped for the next Test against the Windies, if Langer is fit. Considering dropping Clarke would mean that Brett Lee will be the youngest player in the side at 29 (i think). If this does happen where would it rank in terms of the oldest side to play Test Cricket. I doubt it wold be the oldest as prior to the 30s some players played till there 50odd, but i think it would have to be one of the oldest Test sides since 1950s. So does anyone know what is the oldest Test side, in terms of age and where this Australia team without Clarke would rank?
 

archie mac

International Coach
chaminda_00 said:
There is a lot of talk around Australia that Micheal Clarke might get dropped for the next Test against the Windies, if Langer is fit. Considering dropping Clarke would mean that Brett Lee will be the youngest player in the side at 29 (i think). If this does happen where would it rank in terms of the oldest side to play Test Cricket. I doubt it wold be the oldest as prior to the 30s some players played till there 50odd, but i think it would have to be one of the oldest Test sides since 1950s. So does anyone know what is the oldest Test side, in terms of age and where this Australia team without Clarke would rank?
Not sure, but I am reading a book at the moment about the 1930 England team, and I imagine their ave. Age to be pretty high?
 

luckyeddie

Cricket Web Staff Member
archie mac said:
Not sure, but I am reading a book at the moment about the 1930 England team, and I imagine their ave. Age to be pretty high?
First test:

Jack Hobbs (47)
Herbert Sutcliffe (35)
Wally Hammond (27)
Frank Woolley (43)
Patsy Hendren (41)
Percy Chapman (29)
Harold Larwood (25)
Walter Robins (24)
Maurice Tate (35)
**** Tyldesley (33) curse you, Cricket Web filter.
George Duckworth (29)

Average age around 34. Positively Australian.
 

Neil Pickup

Cricket Web Moderator
But its youngest player is still considerably sub-29... I wonder what the oldest youngest player ever is?
 

BoyBrumby

Englishman
From memory the Oz team in 32/33 was pretty old, but when I looked at the teams McCabe, Braddles & Fingleton lower the avearge a bit. The 3rd test side still were thirty-two & a half on average tho:

Fingleton (24)
Woodfull (35)
Bradman (24)
McCabe (22)
Ponsford (32)
Richardson (38)
Oldfield (38)
Grimmett (40)
Wall (28)
O’Reilly (27)
Ironmonger (50)
 

wpdavid

Hall of Fame Member
England's side in the 1972 Ashes series was not a young combination. IIRC Illingworth, D'Oliveira and MJK Smith were all past 40. Maybe Gifford as well. Boycott, Edrich & Luckhurst were all in their mid 30's, and I think Knott & Snow were in their early 30's. Greig was the baby of the side, and he must have been in his mid/late 20's. The oldest XI picked was probably at Lord's, when John Price, also in mid/late 30's was called up to replace the injured Geoff Arnold.

I remember "young" Barry Wood being called up for the 5th test. IIRC he was 31.

EDIT 1
Looks like I owe a couple of those guys an apology, but here's the accurate version of England at Lord's 1972. The side was Boycott (31y, 8m), Edrich (35y, 0m), Luckhurst (33y, 4m), Smith(39y, 0m), D'Oliveira (40y, 8m), Greig (25y, 8m), Knott (26y, 2m), Illingworth (40y, 0m), Snow (30y, 8m), Gifford (32y, 3m), Price (34y, 11m).
The average age was 33 years & 5 months. Possibly a record for post WW2?

EDIT 2
The team for the 3rd test may have been fractionally older, with 35 year old Parfitt replacing an injured Boycott and 31 year old Peter Lever replacing Price. Plus the rest of the side were 3 weeks older, of course.
 
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Prince EWS

Global Moderator
wpdavid said:
England's side in the 1972 Ashes series was not a young combination. IIRC Illingworth, D'Oliveira and MJK Smith were all past 40. Maybe Gifford as well. Boycott, Edrich & Luckhurst were all in their mid 30's, and I think Knott & Snow were in their early 30's. Greig was the baby of the side, and he must have been in his mid/late 20's. The oldest XI picked was probably at Lord's, when John Price, also in mid/late 30's was called up to replace the injured Geoff Arnold.

I remember "young" Barry Wood being called up for the 5th test. IIRC he was 31.

EDIT 1
Looks like I owe a couple of those guys an apology, but here's the accurate version of England at Lord's 1972. The side was Boycott (31y, 8m), Edrich (35y, 0m), Luckhurst (33y, 4m), Smith(39y, 0m), D'Oliveira (40y, 8m), Greig (25y, 8m), Knott (26y, 2m), Illingworth (40y, 0m), Snow (30y, 8m), Gifford (32y, 3m), Price (34y, 11m).
The average age was 33 years & 5 months. Possibly a record for post WW2?

EDIT 2
The team for the 3rd test may have been fractionally older, with 35 year old Parfitt replacing an injured Boycott and 31 year old Peter Lever replacing Price. Plus the rest of the side were 3 weeks older, of course.
Again though... several ages under the 29 of Brett Lee.

This could possibly be the side with the oldest youngest player in it, if it does indeed get selected, which I doubt.
 

wpdavid

Hall of Fame Member
Prince EWS said:
Again though... several ages under the 29 of Brett Lee.

This could possibly be the side with the oldest youngest player in it, if it does indeed get selected, which I doubt.
It probably is. And the average age may well be not so different from England's 1972 side. Even more so when Aus send out the same sort of lineup in 2006/07.
 

Prince EWS

Global Moderator
wpdavid said:
It probably is. And the average age may well be not so different from England's 1972 side. Even more so when Aus send out the same sort of lineup in 2006/07.
I doubt they will though, to be honest. Clarke (if he does indeed get dropped this time, which I doubt) or Watson, or both, or possibly even Tait, will be back by then. Clarke and Watson are both only 24 at the moment, and Tait is only 22.
 

wpdavid

Hall of Fame Member
Prince EWS said:
I doubt they will though, to be honest. Clarke (if he does indeed get dropped this time, which I doubt) or Watson, or both, or possibly even Tait, will be back by then. Clarke and Watson are both only 24 at the moment, and Tait is only 22.
Being equally honest, I don't seriously believe they will either. Mind you, I'd be surprised if Tait was in the 1st choice starting XI - surely the attack will be MCGrath, Lee, Warne & MacGill if they're all fit. Which does raise he chances of you being dead right about Watson, of course.
 

wpdavid

Hall of Fame Member
Neil Pickup said:
But its youngest player is still considerably sub-29... I wonder what the oldest youngest player ever is?
Lee will be the 4th oldest youngest player. Apparently the oldest was Vallence Jupp at 30 years and 104 days. Here's the full list.

www.*******************/STATS/TEST/teams_oldest_youngest.php[/url]
 
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wpdavid

Hall of Fame Member
BoyBrumby said:
Think the word filter has issues with that address... :D
How very odd! Oh well, I could just try and copy the list

Player Age Test
1. Vallance Jupp 30y 104d England vs Australia at Leeds, The Ashes, 3rd Test, 1921
2. Jack Hearne 29y 330d England vs Australia at Melbourne, The Ashes, 2nd Test, 1920/21
3. Maurice Tate 29y 280d England vs Australia at Sydney, The Ashes, 5th Test, 1924/25
4. Percy Fender 28y 362d England vs Australia at The Oval, The Ashes, 5th Test, 1921
5. James Langridge 28y 361d England vs South Africa at Lord's, 2nd Test, 1935
6. Simon Katich 28y 330d Australia vs Sri Lanka at Cairns, 2nd Test, 2004
7. Bill Woodfull 28y 328d Australia vs England at Leeds, The Ashes, 3rd Test, 1926
8. Simon Katich 28y 322d Australia vs Sri Lanka at Darwin, 1st Test, 2004
9. Bill Woodfull 28y 314d Australia vs England at Lord's, The Ashes, 2nd Test, 1926
10. Bill Woodfull 28y 300d Australia vs England at Nottingham, The Ashes, 1st Test, 1926
11. Andrew Symonds 28y 288d Australia vs Sri Lanka at Kandy, 2nd Test, 2003/04
12. Andrew Symonds 28y 280d Australia vs Sri Lanka at Galle, 1st Test, 2003/04
13. Simon Katich 28y 223d Australia vs Sri Lanka at Colombo, 3rd Test, 2003/04
14. Les Ames 28y 222d England vs Australia at Manchester, The Ashes, 3rd Test, 1934
15. Percy Fender 28y 193d England vs Australia at Sydney, The Ashes, 5th Test, 1920/21
16. Alec Bedser 28y 155d England vs Australia at Brisbane, The Ashes, 1st Test, 1946/47
17. Percy Fender 28y 151d England vs Australia at Adelaide, The Ashes, 3rd Test, 1920/21
18. Simon Katich 28y 120d Australia vs India at Adelaide, Border-Gavaskar Trophy, 2nd Test, 2003/04
19. George Duckworth 28y 86d England vs South Africa at Manchester, 4th Test, 1929
20. Bill Ponsford 28y 63d Australia vs England at Sydney, The Ashes, 2nd Test, 1928/29
21. Alec Bedser 28y 23d England vs India at Manchester, 2nd Test, 1946
22. Abe Waddington 28y 13d England vs Australia at Melbourne, The Ashes, 4th Test, 1920/21
23. Alec Bedser 27y 360d England vs India at Lord's, 1st Test, 1946
24. Godfrey Evans 27y 331d England vs Australia at Manchester, The Ashes, 3rd Test, 1948
25. Abe Waddington 27y 322d England vs Australia at Sydney, The Ashes, 1st Test, 1920/21
26. Stuart MacGill 27y 318d Australia vs England at Sydney, The Ashes, 5th Test, 1998/99
27. Mike Hendrick 27y 266d England vs West Indies at Manchester, The Wisden Trophy, 3rd Test, 1976
28. Stuart MacGill 27y 246d Australia vs Pakistan at Karachi, 3rd Test, 1998/99
29. Wilfred Rhodes 27y 235d England vs Australia at Lord's, The Ashes, 2nd Test, 1905
30. Stuart MacGill 27y 225d Australia vs Pakistan at Rawalpindi, 1st Test, 1998/99
31. Jason Gillespie 27y 223d Australia vs England at Adelaide, The Ashes, 2nd Test, 2002/03
32. Wilfred Rhodes 27y 218d England vs Australia at Nottingham, The Ashes, 1st Test, 1905
33. Jason Gillespie 27y 209d Australia vs England at Brisbane, The Ashes, 1st Test, 2002/03
34. Trevor Bailey 27y 193d England vs South Africa at Nottingham, 1st Test, 1951
35. Chris Old 27y 184d England vs West Indies at Lord's, The Wisden Trophy, 2nd Test, 1976
36. Chris Old 27y 170d England vs West Indies at Nottingham, The Wisden Trophy, 1st Test, 1976
37. **** Tyldesley 27y 164d England vs South Africa at The Oval, 5th Test, 1924
38. Frank Hayes 27y 121d England vs West Indies at Port of Spain, The Wisden Trophy, 5th Test, 1973/74
39. Les Ames 27y 76d England vs Australia at Brisbane, The Ashes, 4th Test, 1932/33
40. Donald Knight 27y 36d England vs Australia at Lord's, The Ashes, 2nd Test, 1921
41. Walter Robins 27y 28d England vs West Indies at Lord's, 1st Test, 1933
42. Donald Knight 27y 22d England vs Australia at Nottingham, The Ashes, 1st Test, 1921
43. James Langridge 27y 19d England vs West Indies at Manchester, 2nd Test, 1933
44. Arthur Langton 27y 7d South Africa vs England at Durban, 5th Test, 1938/39
45. Godfrey Evans 27y 4d England vs South Africa at The Oval, 5th Test, 1947
46. Arthur Langton 26y 359d South Africa vs England at Johannesburg, 4th Test, 1938/39
47. Brett Lee 26y 349d Australia vs Zimbabwe at Sydney, Southern Cross Trophy, 2nd Test, 2003/04
48. Godfrey Evans 26y 348d England vs South Africa at Leeds, 4th Test, 1947
49. Brett Lee 26y 341d Australia vs Zimbabwe at Perth, Southern Cross Trophy, 1st Test, 2003/04
50. Tom Moody 26y 337d Australia vs Sri Lanka at Colombo, 2nd Test, 1992
 

chaminda_00

Hall of Fame Member
Interesting to see that 13 times players from the current Australian side make the list, 14 if you include the current Test.
 

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