Who Is the Oldest Player in Cricket World Cup History?

The adage "age is just a number" has been seen several times in sports too. Across several sports, we have seen many athletes defy age and continue playing well past what’s often called their "prime years." In tennis, for example, Roger Federer was still competing in his late 30s, and in football, Zlatan Ibrahimovic played top-level football past 40. If you are physically fit, you can continue playing for as long as your body allows. 

Cricket, too, has seen players defying age norms. Former India captain MS Dhoni, who retired from international cricket in the year 2020, is into his 40s now, but still continues to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Pravin Tambe, now 53, made his IPL debut at the age of 41, becoming the oldest IPL debutant ever. In fact, he didn't even have any professional cricket experience at the time he made his IPL debut. Some cricketers have played well into their 40s, even competing at the highest levels like the Cricket World Cup. In this article, we’ll look at some of the oldest players who have played in the Cricket World Cup, proving that passion for cricket has little to do with age.

Nolan Clarke | 47 Years and 240 Days – 1996 World Cup 

Barbados-born former Dutch cricketer Nolan Clarke holds the record for being the oldest cricketer to have ever played at the World Cup. An explosive right-handed batter who loved sending the ball out of the park, Clarke played five matches for the Netherlands at the 1996 ODI World Cup held in India and Pakistan. Born on 22 June 1948, Clarke was 47 years and 240 days old at the time of playing the first of the five World Cup matches in 1996. That not only made him the oldest to feature in a Cricket World Cup, but also the oldest-ever ODI debutant. However, his performance with the bat was underwhelming, as he managed to score just 50 runs across five matches at an average of 10. 

"I didn't do it to inspire people, but the Indian public and Pakistan public would say: if a man at 47 years can still run around and play a bit of cricket, well, that is enough hope for people," Clarke told ESPN in an interview. 

John Traicos | 44 Years and 306 Days - 1992 World Cup

John Traicos is one of the few cricketers who played international cricket for more than one team. He was 44 years and 306 days old at the time of the 1992 World Cup which was held in Australia and New Zealand. He had earlier also played for Zimbabwe in the 1983 Cricket World Cup, and captained them in six matches at the 1987 World Cup. In the 1992 World Cup when Traicos was the oldest player in the tournament, an 18-year-old Sachin Tendulkar made his World Cup debut. In an interview with ESPN, Traicos recalled Tendulkar's match-winning knock against Zimbabwe. 

"In the World Cup we lost to India in Hamilton, where Tendulkar, as an 18-year-old, made 81 and was Man of the Match. I was amazed how cleanly he hit the ball, and it was extremely difficult to restrict him and to stop him scoring boundaries," the offspinner told ESPN.

Khurram Khan | 43 Years and 267 Days – 2015 World Cup 

Pakistani-born cricketer Khurram Khan, who played for the United Arab Emirates cricket team from 2004–2015, was the oldest player at the 2015 ODI World Cup at 43 years and 262 days. A year before that, he became the oldest player to score an ODI century. He scored an unbeaten 132 in UAE's six-wicket victory over Afghanistan in Dubai. Khan played his last World Cup match, which was also his last ODI match, aged 43 years and 267 days against West Indies. He was able to score only five runs in his final outing. He also holds three other records: fifth-oldest ODI player of all time (43 years and 267 days), third-oldest ODI captain ever (43 years and 164 days), and the oldest player to score a maiden ODI century (43 years and 162 days). 

In all, the all-rounder represented the UAE in 16 ODIs and three T20Is and also captained them for over a decade. 

Flavian Aponso | 43 Years and 121 Days - 1996 World Cup 

At the 1996 World Cup, the second-oldest player after Nolan Clarke was Sri Lankan born Flavian Aponso, who represented Netherlands. He was 43 years and 121 days old on the day he played his last World Cup match in 1996. During the same tournament, he also became the oldest batsman to score a fifty in the ODI World Cup, a feat he achieved against Pakistan in Lahore. Additionally, he became the oldest-ever ODI debutant, a record which was broken only a few days later by Nolan Clarke in the same tournament. Aponso played at five matches at the 1996 World Cup, scoring 120 runs at an average of 30. Currently, the top order batsman is the fifth oldest player to have debuted in an ODI. 

Mohammad Tauqir | 43 Years and 31 Days – 2015 World Cup 

Mohammed Tauqir, who was appointed captain of the UAE national team for the 2015 ODI World Cup, was the second-oldest player in the tournament that year, after UAE vice-captain Khurram Khan, who was just a few days older than Tauqir. Under Tauqir's captaincy, however, a largely inexperienced UAE team, playing their first World Cup, was not able to win a single match in the group stage. One of the highlights of Tauqir's career is his ODI debut against India, when he scored a half century and also took the wicket of VVS Laxman. A lower-order batsman and handy offspinner, Tauqir also set the record as the oldest captain to debut in T20I history. At 43, he made his T20I debut while also leading his team, making him the second-oldest player to debut in T20I after Hong Kong's Ryan Campbell.

Misbah-ul-Haq | 40 Years and 262 Days - 2015 World Cup

Misbah-ul-Haq, who captained Pakistan at the 2015 ODI World Cup, which was also his final tournament before retirement from the 50-over format, is sixth on this list. Haq was 40 years and 262 days old at the time. He was also Pakistan's highest run-scorer at the 2015 World Cup, with 350 runs across seven games. Pakistan made it to the quarterfinal, where they lost to Australia. 

Haq is also the first batsman to score a Test century after the age of 41 since Geoffrey Boycott did it in 1981. This century also made him the oldest captain to score a Test hundred. Interestingly, he is also the oldest batsman to score two hundreds in a Test match, achieving the feat the age of 40 years 158 days against Australia. 

Imran Tahir | 40 Years and 64 Days - 2019 World Cup 

At the age of 40 years and 64 days, Imran Tahir became the oldest cricketer for South Africa to play in an ODI World Cup match in the 2019 edition that was held in England and Wales. He was also South Africa's second-highest wicket-taker at the 2019 World Cup, with 11 wickets in eight innings. He is currently South Africa's leading wicket-taker among spinners in both the shorter formats of the game. Tahir is also the first South African, and the fourth player overall, to take four wickets in a single innings across all three major ICC tournaments: the World Cup, Champions Trophy, and World T20.

Chris Gayle | 39 Years and 251 Days - 2019 World Cup 

Universe Boss Chris Gayle was 39 years and 251 days when he played his last match at the 2019 World Cup. This was the West Indian legends fifth and final ODI World Cup. Since his ODI debut in September 1999 against India, Gayle delivered several blockbuster performances in limited-overs cricket. The highest run scorer for the West Indies in ODIs and T20Is, Gayle also holds the record for the fastest ODI fifty by a West Indies batsman (50 runs in 19 balls). He is the most capped player for the West Indies in international cricket, and also the first player from his team to score a double-century in ODI cricket as well as in the ODI World Cup. The swashbuckling Jamaican batsman, who was last seen in the 2021 T20 World Cup, is yet to officially announce retirement from the format. 

Wesley Barresi | 39 Years and 155 Days - 2023 World Cup 

Top order wicketkeeper-batsman Wesley Barresi, who has represented the Netherlands team since 2009, was the oldest player at last year's 2023 ODI World Cup played in India. 

In February 2021, Barresi announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, before making a return in August 2022. In all, Barresi has played 52 ODIs and 46 T20Is for the Netherlands. 

Mohammad Nabi | 38 Years and 277 Days - 2023 World Cup 

The second-oldest player in the 2023 ODI World Cup was Afghanistan veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi. He was 38 years and 277 days old at the time of playing his final game at the quadrennial event last year. 

Nabi played a huge role in Afghanistan's rise in international cricket. He was a member of the squad that played in both Afghanistan's first-ever ODI and first-ever Test. Nabi holds a distinctive record for being a key player in Afghanistan's victories over 45 different countries across all formats of international cricket. Although he has retired from Test cricket, he is still playing the limited-overs formats for Afghanistan.

Ryan Campbell | 44 Years and 98 Days - 2016 World Cup

Ryan Campbell, who represented both Australia and Hong Kong internationally, is the oldest cricketer to have played in a T20 World Cup. The explosive wicketkeeper batsman was 44 years and 98 days old at the 2016 T20 World Cup that was played in India. He represented Hong Kong in the tournament, and this was his comeback in international cricket after 14 years. After not getting enough chances in the Australian team, Campbell had moved to Hong Kong, where his started his second innings as a cricketer. For Australia, Campbell played only two ODIs, the first of which was in January 2012. In all, he played only five international matches - two ODIs for Australia and three T20Is for Hong Kong. 

Frank Nsubuga | 43 Years and 253 Days - 2024 World Cup 

Ugandan cricketer Frank Nsubuga, at 43 years and 253 days, was the oldest player at this year's 2024 T20 World Cup held in the USA and West Indies. A right-handed batsman and off spin bowler, Nsubuga created history at the 2024 T20 World Cup not just with his age but also with his bowling. He bowled the most economical spell in the tournament's history, giving away just four runs in his four overs while also picking up two wickets. His spell, which included two maiden overs, helped Uganda win their first-ever match in a T20 World Cup. This win came against Papua New Guinea. In all, Nsubuga has played 56 T20Is, picking up 57 wickets at an average of over 16 and an economy rate of 4.79. 

Brad Hogg | 43 Years and 34 Days - 2014 World Cup 

Former Australian cricketer Brad Hogg was 43 years and 34 days old at the time of playing the 2014 World Cup. The following year, the chinaman bowler became the oldest player ever to feature in an IPL match after he played for Kolkata Knight Riders against Chennai Super Kings at the age of 44 years and 81 days. Hogg is the only player aged over 40 to have taken 100 wickets in T20 cricket. He has also won multiple ICC titles with Australia, including the 2003 and 2007 Cricket World Cups and the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy. In all, he played seven Tests, 123 ODIs and 15 T20Is, picking up 17, 156 and seven wickets, respectively. 

Chris Gayle | 42 Years and 36 Days - 2021 World Cup 

Chris Gayle became one of the oldest players to feature in the T20 World Cup when he played the 2021 edition at the age of 42 years and 36 days. However, he could score only 45 runs in five matches and has not played international cricket since. Gayle holds several records in T20I cricket, including being the leading run-scorer for the West Indies in the format. At his prime, he was one of the most destructive and entertainment batsmen. The most capped player for the West Indies in international cricket, Gayle was also the first cricketer to score centuries in all formats of the game.

Najeeb Amar | 42 Years and 17 Days - 2014 World Cup 

Pakistani-born Hong Kong cricketer Najeeb Amar, who made his international debut in 2004, was 42 years and 17 days old at the time of playing the 2014 T20 World Cup. Najeeb, who had led the Hong Kong team in T20Is since 2009, retired in May 2011. However, the spinner was recalled for the T20 World Cup in 2014, and he agreed to come out of retirement. 

Mohammad Hafeez | 41 Years and 10 Days - 2021 World Cup 

Pakistan's Mohammad Hafeez, who retired from all forms of international cricket in 2022 after playing for 18 years, was 41 years and 10 days old at the time of playing the 2021 T20 World Cup. He didn't have the best of times in the tournament, managing only 85 runs across five innings. However, Hafeez remains one of Pakistan's finest batsmen. He is their third-highest run-scorer in the shortest format, with 3313 runs from 102 matches at an average and strike rate of 26.46 and 122.03. He was also the leading run-scorer in T20Is globally in the year 2020. Hafeez is also among Pakistan's top 10 highest run-scorers in ODI cricket.