All-time 40+ World XI

#2 Sir Jack Hobbs (Oldest Test centurion)

Jack Hobbs is shown appreciation by the Australian players as he takes strike during his last international innings in 1930, at the age of 48

Last appearance – 52 years old

Sir Jack Hobbs, hailed to be one of the greatest batsmen of the 20th century, debuted for England in 1908 at the age of 26, going on to establish his reputation as one of the most skilful run-getters from the pre-War years.

This self-taught son of a groundsman remains one of cricket history’s most prolific batsman, but would have amassed even more than his existing record of 61,237 first-class runs and 197 centuries had the World War I not interrupted his playing days.

In the years after the war, Hobbs struggled with ill-health, and was accused of deliberately throwing away his wicket once his individual score reached triple digits. However, after reaching the age of 42, he found a second lease of form – adopting a more cautious approach and going on to play for England for a further 6 years, creating records that stand to this day.

Hobbs is the oldest Test centurion – with the 142 for England against Australia at MCG in 1929, at 46 years 82 days. He has the record for most Test centuries scored after 40 – 8. He is one of the only four people to have scored a Test double century after turning 40. He is the oldest to score two fifties in a Test – at the age of 47 – and the oldest batsman to score 500 runs in a Test series – at the age of 42.

From the time of his 43rd to his 46th birthday, the opening batsman scored around 11,000 runs, averaging round about the sixties. Yet he once said that he would wish to be remembered for the way he batted before 1914. "But, Jack," his friends had protested, "you got bags of runs after 1919!"

"Maybe," Hobbs had replied, "but they were nearly all made off the back foot."

This great batsman and character, thought by many to have been even better than Don Bradman, announced his retirement from cricket at the age of 52 in 1935, and became a few years later the first professional cricketer to receive the knighthood.