5 oldest Test captaincy debuts since 2000
Challenges in the life of a sportsperson are not always limited to the action on the field; with each passing year, an aging body craves for attention, and a youthful mind becomes tired and dodgy. To sustain one’s game at the international level, especially with today’s choc-a-bloc schedules, it’s imperative to possess a sturdy mindset that can maintain the resolve to carry on, despite a failing body and an exhausted brain. The task becomes all the more taxing when there is the added, correction mammoth, responsibility of captaining ten other men, who look up to you for advice and direction.
Here are five cricketers from the recent past, who got a taste of captaincy in the twilight of their careers:
#5 Ridley Jacobs (35 years, 12 days)
A bulky wicket-keeper batsman who was effective, if not elegant, Jacobs was one of the few stumpers who got an extended run in the West Indies team in the 90s. There was David Williams, there was Junior Murray and later Courtney Browne. Yet, a spirited Jacobs ended up playing 65 Tests and 147 ODIs for the country, rising up the ranks to eventually become the captain of the national side in both Tests and ODIs.
The knack of making noteworthy contributions for the team’s cause helped him secure the vice-captain’s role under Carl Hooper. Later, when the latter became unavailable for a series against Bangladesh in 2002, the captaincy mantle was given to Jacobs, who became the sixth oldest West Indian to make his captaincy debut, at the age of 35.