All-time 40+ World XI
An average cricketer is in the prime form of his life between the ages of 25 and 30, fights an increasingly difficult battle with his body and mind to continue playing in his thirties, and is well ensconced in retirement by the time 40 comes around, contemplating his playing days gone by.For most, crossing a certain age means that their reflexes will slow down, their batting suffer from a lack of timing. Or it can happen that their body simply runs out of steam, like in the case of fast bowlers.There are some cricketers, however, who have enjoyed a great run of form even after crossing the age of 40, and sometimes well into their fifties and even sixties – some careers that would put Sachin Tendulkar’s 24-year career into perspective.This following team consists of 1 fast bowler, 3 spinners, and several all-rounders. A World XI constituted of players who enjoyed a great spell after turning 40:
#1 Sanath Jayasuriya (2nd oldest ODI centurion)
Last appearance – 42 years old
Sanath Jayasuriya made his international debut in 1989, at the age of 20. Over the next two decades, the definition of limited overs batting was to be changed irreversibly, and this swashbuckling Lankan opener was instrumental in this change in approach to ODI batting.
For most hard hitters of the ball, their effectiveness goes down as they grow older – a shot that would have easily gone out of the stadium struggles to cross the rope in advanced years. Not Jayasuriya though. With his 107 against India on 28 January 2009, Jayasuriya—39 years and 212 days old at the time—became the oldest player to score an ODI century, a record surpassed by UAE batsman Khurram Khan in the 2015 World Cup.
Jayasuriya continued to play international cricket for two years after turning 40, despite having retired from Test cricket earlier, consistently providing quick starts and also chipping in with his left-arm spin. He was also a sought-after figure in the T20 circuit, turning out for several Asian franchises, which included Mumbai Indians.
Even in 2015, at the age of 46, Jayasuriya was seen leading a World XI side in a charity match against Nepal in August – managing one huge boundary in the first over to roll back the years, and bowling figures of 2/10.