He became the second-oldest Pakistani debutant in the format.
Pakistan handed a debut to a 38-year-old Asif Afridi during the second Test against South Africa in Rawalpindi. He became the second-oldest Pakistani debutant in the format after Miran Bakhsh, who was 47 at the time of his maiden game.
It is a remarkable achievement for Afridi, who has been one of the consistent performers in the domestic arena over the years. Several players have started their careers late, and he is the second-oldest to make his Test debut this century.
We look at the five oldest debutants of the 21st century.
One of Ireland’s greatest ever players, Ed Joyce, is the oldest Test debutant of this century. He played his maiden Test at the age of 39 years and 231 days against Pakistan in 2018.
He registered scores of 4 & 43 across two innings on debut and didn’t play any Test after, making it his only game in the format. This also remains his final international game for Ireland.
As mentioned, Asif Afridi has become the second-oldest to the Test debut at the age of 38 years and 299 days. However, he is a domestic veteran and has played more than 50 First Class games since making his debut in 2009.
Afridi has 198 wickets at an average of 25.49, including 13 five-wicket and two ten-wicket hauls, in 95 FC innings. He might not have played if the pitches were similar to before, but now that Pakistan have opted for turners at home, they have employed veterans to do the job and found ample success.
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Shaun von Berg was 37 years and 150 days old when he played his first Test for South Africa in 2024. This opportunity came because all the main players were busy in SA20 when the team toured New Zealand for a Test series.
Unfortunately, he went wicketless and could only score 40 and has not played any games for the Proteas since. That said, Shaun remains a domestic giant, with a whopping 526 wickets at 29.47 runs apiece in 147 matches, including 29 five-wicket and six ten-wicket hauls.
Bryce McGain started his professional career at 35 and was soon in Australia’s Test side on the South Africa tour. He made his Test debut at 36 years and 359 days in 2009 in Cape Town.
He had a mediocre outing, going wicketless in 18 overs in his only innings. McGain never played for Australia again, but remains Australia’s oldest debutant since 1984.
One of the early performers for Ireland, Tim Murtagh, was pivotal in helping his team gain Test status. He made his Test debut at the age of 36 years and 282 days in 2018, the same game in which Ed Joyce debuted.
Murtagh has played three games for Ireland in the format, snaring 13 wickets at an average of 16.38, including a five-wicket haul at the iconic Lord’s. That also remains his final game for Ireland, even though he continued playing domestic cricket for a few more years.
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