5 oldest T20I debutants from Test playing nations

Because of a certain Adam Gilchrist, Perth-born Ryan Campbell could never make it big to the Australian team in the early 2000s. His international career was restricted to just two ODIs in 2002, and there was hardly any chance of him making it back to the side ever.

In March 2016, and Campbell was back to playing international cricket, this time for the obscure Hong Kong side as part of the World T20. He made his T20I debut at 44, capping a remarkable comeback, becoming the oldest debutant in Twenty20 internationals.

BBL winner Michael Klinger became the oldest Australian to make his T20I debut, after having been drafted into the T20I side for the three-match series against Sri Lanka, back in 2017. Big Bash’s leading run-getter, Klinger was rewarded for his scorching form in the recently concluded edition.

On that note, here are the top 5 oldest players who debuted in T20Is for Test-playing nations.

RR Emrit (West Indies) - 36 years 301 days

Rayad Emrit bowling in the CPL

We start off this list with a not so spectacular name in Rayad Emrit. Mainly known for his exploits in the franchise and West Indian domestic circuit, Emrits debuted against New Zealand on 3 January, 2018.

In a game where Colin Munro thrashed everyone out of the park with his 53-ball 104, Emrit returned with the figures of 4-0-42-1, conceding five sixes. After his unspectacular debut, Emrit played for three more matches for his national team, with his last being against Pakistan in April 2018.

#4 Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) – 36 years, 350 days

One of the old warhorses who continued playing actively even past the age of 40, Sanath Jayasuriya’s explosive hitting and canny bowling, was a feature of the Islanders for more than two decades.

In 2006, along with the rest of the team, Jayasuriya made his T20I debut in a match that went right down the wire, with Sri Lanka edging out the English side by a mere two runs. Jayasuriya scored a quick 30-ball 41, setting the tone for SL’s total of 163. He came back to bowl his quota of four overs, claiming two wickets in the process.

He went on to play 30 more T20Is, stacking quick runs at the top of the order well until 2011, when he finally decided to stop.

#3 Floyd Reifer (WI) – 37 years, 10 days

Floyd Reifer’s international career stretched for an eternity, but accounted for just 15 appearances. The stars suddenly aligned for him in 2009: that year, he was plucked out of obscurity, and suddenly found himself becoming the Test captain, as well as making his T20I debut.

The debut in itself, however, was one he’ll cherish: leading a second-string side to victory against Bangladesh, he scored a swift 20-ball 22 to steer a small chase. Reifer never played for West Indies after that, and a topsy-turvy career was prematurely truncated when the main players came back to the squad.

It’s been a series of sporadic appearances in random fixtures for Reifer ever since, with his last noted match being for the UWI vs WICB celebrity game two years back.

#2 Rahul Dravid (IND) – 38 years, 232 days

He could walk on water if the team wanted him to. Rahul Dravid was plucked out of limited-overs obscurity on India’s tour to England in 2011, when the other batsmen couldn’t put bat on ball. He eventually made his T20I debut as well, at the ripe of old age of 39, becoming the oldest Indian to achieve the feat.

And what a start it was! The usually sedate Dravid carted Samit Patel for three huge sixes of consecutive deliveries, setting the tone with a quickfire 20-ball 31. He retired from the T20I format after the match.

He continued to play Test cricket for one more year before calling it quits in 2012.

#1 Rafatullah Mohmand (PAK) – 39 years, 20 days

The reward came late, but it finally came. Rafatullah Mohmand holds the distinction of not missing out on a single season of the domestic season, diligently playing the game since 1996. The reward came in 2015, when he was handed his Pakistan debut against England in a T20I.

Things haven’t been rosy at all: tired of missing out every single time, he harboured thoughts of shifting to Afghanistan, and at one time, even quitting the game. But he soldiered along, and did get to represent Pakistan in three T20Is.

He last played for his domestic team, the Water and Development Authority (WADC), in October 2006.