Top 5 late bloomers in Test cricket 

Not every player makes it big in the early stages of their career. There have been players who made their debut quite late or simply flourished at the latter stages of their career. They performed exceedingly well for their respective teams and in hindsight, one may be forgiven for thinking that had these players started early or peaked earlier, they could’ve achieved a lot more.

Here’s a look at 5 players who bloomed quite late in Test cricket.

Notable Mentions – Chris Rogers, Stuart MacGill

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#5 Graeme Swann

Graeme Swann is probably one of the best spinners to have played for England. Swann first played for his country in 2000 in an ODI against South Africa. But his laid-back and infantile nature didn’t impress coach Duncan Fletcher and hence he didn’t play for almost 8 years. He made a comeback in late 2007, playing 4 ODIs in Sri Lanka and doing well with both bat and ball.

Some consistent performances in One-Day cricket helped him earn a spot in the Test side. Swann made his debut in the famous Chennai Test in December 2008. He picked up the wickets of Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid in his very first over in Test cricket. He took 8 wickets (in 2 Tests) in his debut series.

He continued to perform superbly as he took 54 and 64 wickets in 2009 and 2010 respectively. He took 14 (in 2009) and 15 wickets (in 2010/11) in two series against Australia to help England win back-to-back Ashes series. His exploits in India in 2012 helped England win the series (he took 20 wickets in 4 Tests). He then took 26 wickets in the 2013 Ashes at home to help England retain the urn.

After a few successful years in international cricket, Swann endured a tough and disappointing Ashes series down under in 2013/14 which resulted in him calling it quits mid-way through the series. Swann ended his career with 255 wickets in 60 Tests. He was also a handy lower-order batsman and a very good slip fielder.

#4 Saeed Ajmal

Saeed Ajmal

Saeed Ajmal was one of the most difficult bowlers to play during his peak. The variations he had were very difficult to pick. His impressive outing in the T20 World Cup (in 2009) and a good start to his ODI career earned him a Test debut in 2009 (at the age of 31) against Sri Lanka in Galle. He took 5 wickets in his first Test.

The Pakistani mystery spinner recently retired from all forms of cricket, but he played his last international game in 2015. He played his last Test back in 2014. He was constantly under the scanner for his dubious action but he kept passing tests to continue playing.

Ajmal played 35 Tests and took 178 wickets. He troubled a lot of batsmen throughout his career and was one of only six bowlers who debuted after the age of 30 to have taken 100 Test wickets.

#3 Matthew Hayden

Matthew Hayden

Matthew Hayden made his Test debut way back in 1993 but played only 7 Test matches in the 20th century (before 2000). In that period, Hayden scored just 145 runs at an average of 12.08 and was severely criticized for his technique.

However, the big Queenslander made a successful return to Test cricket in 2000 when he scored 267 runs in 8 innings. In 2001, he stamped his authority and showed the world what he was capable of. In the 2001 India tour, he amassed 549 runs in 3 Tests (hitting 2 fifties and 2 hundreds) at a staggering average of 109.80.

He continued to perform exceedingly well as he formed a superb opening partnership with Justin Langer in Test cricket. Between 2001 and 2005, he scored over 1000 Test runs in every year.

Hayden called time on his Test career after the 2008/09 Australian summer. He played 103 Test matches and scored 8625 runs at an average of 50.73. He also hit 30 Test hundreds in total having cemented his spot in the Test team only at the age of 29-30.

#2 Misbah-ul-Haq

Misbah-ul-Haq

Misbah-ul-Haq's temperament on and off the field was brilliant. However, he will forever be remembered for missing out on a golden opportunity in the inaugural T20 World Cup final.

But he was Pakistan’s crisis man. After the spot-fixing saga in 2010, the team was in turmoil and he put his hand up and led them well. He was an inspirational captain, leading Pakistan admirably in 56 Test matches (26 wins as captain).

Misbah made his Test debut in 2001 (at the age of 27) but poor returns meant that he got his second chance only in 2007. But from the time he returned, he was largely consistent. In the last few years of his international career, he was the rock (along with Younis Khan) in Pakistan’s middle-order.

He played 75 Tests, scoring 5222 runs at an average of 46.62. He retired at the age of 42 in 2017.

#1 Michael Hussey

Michael Hussey

Michael Hussey was a vital cog in the Australian team (in every format) for about 7-8 years. He successfully took over the finisher’s mantle from Michael Bevan. He also was one of the best No. 6 batsmen to have played for Australia.

After good returns in ODI cricket, Hussey made his Test debut in 2005 at the age of 30. He found instant success at the international level as he averaged more than 70 in his first three years of Test cricket (85.00 in 2005, 80.42 in 2006 and 74.80 in 2007). In those 3 years, the Western Australia left-hander scored 7 hundreds and 8 fifties.

Hussey retired from international cricket in January 2013. He represented Australia in 79 Test matches and amassed 6235 runs at an average of 51.53. He struck 19 centuries and 29 fifties in his Test career.