Cricket today is played by players who are fit enough to field for 50 overs without breaking a sweat. But that was not the case in the 1990s. Both the oldest and second oldest players in the history of ODI played in the 90s. But do you know who was the oldest player to play in an ODI match?
Nolan Clarke
Netherlands’ opening batter, Nolan Clarke is the oldest player to play in an ODI match. He played a match against South Africa in the 1996 World Cup. Clarke was aged 47 years and 257 days old. It was the last group stage match for the Netherlands at the 1996 World Cup.
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South Africa vs Netherlands, 1996 World Cup
South Africa won the toss at Rawalpindi and opted to bat first. Openers Gary Kirsten and Andrew Hudson shared a 186-run opening stand. Kirsten scored 83 runs in 98 balls and smashed 6 fours. Hudson was the star performer of the match. The right-handed batter scored 161 runs in just 132 balls smashing 13 fours and 4 sixes. South African skipper, Hansie Cronje scored 41 runs in 39 balls. Darryl Cullinan and Jacques Kallis scored 19 and 17 runs respectively. South Africa scored 328 runs in the first innings.
Clarke opening the innings top scored for the Netherlands with just 32 runs in just 46 balls. He smashed 6 fours and 1 six. Clarke was dismissed by Allan Donald. Four of the batters scored in single digits. The Dutch batted for the whole 50 overs and managed to score just 168 runs for the fall of 8 wickets. They lost the match by 160 runs.
Oldest players in ODI
Here are the top 10 oldest players to play in an ODI match:
| Player | Opposition | Age | Match date |
| Nolan Clarke (Netherlands) | South Africa | 47 years 257 days | 5th March, 1996 |
| John Traicos (Zimbabwe) | India | 45 years 312 days | 25th March, 1993 |
| Norman Gifford (England) | Pakistan | 44 years 361 days | 26th March, 1985 |
| Rahul Sharma (Hong Kong) | Pakistan | 43 years 308 days | 18th July, 2004 |
| Khurram Khan (UAE) | West Indies | 43 years 267 days | 15th March, 2015 |
| Lennie Louw (Namibia) | Zimbabwe | 43 years 236 days | 10th February, 2003 |
| Flavian Aponso (Netherlands) | South Africa | 43 years 129 days | 5th March, 1996 |
| Mohammad Tauqir (UAE) | West Indies | 43 years 60 days | 15th Match, 2015 |
| Don Pringle (East Africa) | England | 43 years 44 days | 14th June, 1975 |
| Steven Lubbers (Netherlands) | South Africa | 42 years 347 days | 5th March, 1996 |
Also Read: Shortest Test Match With A Result In Cricket History