IND vs ENG 2022: Top 5 oldest T20I debutants from Test-playing nations
Richard Gleeson became one of the oldest T20I debutants in England's cricket history earlier on Saturday. The right-arm fast bowler received his maiden T20I cap at the age of 34 ahead of the Edgbaston T20I against India.
Gleeson got off to a dream start as he dismissed Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant in his first spell. Fans should note that Gleeson considered retiring from cricket at the start of 2022 before going on to become one of the oldest T20I debutants for England.
Oldest players to make their men's T20I debut for England :-
36y 80d - Paul Nixon vs AUS, 2007
34y 268d - Darren Gough vs AUS, 2005
34y 219d - Richard Gleeson vs IND, today
#ENGvIND
Speaking of the oldest T20I debutants, we will now look at the top five oldest players to make their T20I debut among the Test-playing nations.
#5 Rayad Emrit - 36 years and 301 days
Rayad Emrit is one of the oldest T20I debutants for the West Indies. The fast-bowling all-rounder had an impressive record in T20 cricket, but never got an opportunity to play for the Men in Maroon until their New Zealand tour of 2018.
Emrit made his debut at the Bay Oval against the Kiwis. He took one wicket and scored five runs on debut.
#4 Sanath Jayasuriya - 36 years and 350 days
Sanath Jayasuriya made his international debut back in 1989. T20I cricket did not exist back then. 17 years later, he featured in Sri Lanka's first T20I match against England.
Jayasuriya scored a 30-ball 41 and scalped two wickets for the Islanders in that game. He won the Man of the Match award on his T20I debut.
#3 Floyd Reifer - 37 years and 10 days
"We are not short of talent in the Caribbean..but talent can only take you so far" - Back-to-back Super50 Winning Coach Floyd Reifer https://t.co/EnBre40LNn
Floyd Reifer owns the record for being the oldest West Indian to make his T20I debut. Reifer played the only T20I of his career against Bangladesh in 2009. Interestingly, he captained the Caribbean outfit in that game.
Reifer scored a 20-ball 22 to help West Indies win the game by five wickets at Warner Park.
#2 Rahul Dravid - 38 years and 252 days
Current Indian head coach Rahul Dravid also features on the list of the oldest T20I debutants. Like Floyd Reifer, Dravid played a solitary T20I game in his career, but he did not captain the Men in Blue. He made his debut against England in 2011.
Dravid scored a 21-ball 31 in his only T20I innings. Unfortunately, his quickfire knock ended in a losing cause.
#1 Rafatullah Mohmand
Happy Birthday Rafatullah Mohmand - the oldest T20I player for Pakistan https://t.co/Xu4tTX2YF3
Among the oldest T20I debutants from Test-playing nations, Rafatullah Mohmand is the only player who started his career after celebrating his 39th birthday. He made his debut against England on November 26, 2015 in Dubai.
Mohmand scored a 20-ball 16 while opening the innings for Pakistan. He played three T20Is in that series, scoring 39 runs. Mohmand did not play any other international matches for the Men in Green after that.