Zimbabwe's side for the first ODI against Australia the other day included three players who were over 40. When was the last time this happened in an ODI, a Test and a T20 international? asked Jon Danby via Facebook
For the first one-day international against Australia in Harare last week, Zimbabwe included 41-year-old Craig Ervine alongside Brendan Taylor and Sikandar Raza, who are both 40. This was the first time a Test-playing team had included three over-40s in an one-day international - but Zimbabwe went one better in the third match, in Harare on Sunday, when they recalled Graeme Cremer for his first ODI in eight and a half years. He had celebrated his 40th birthday the day before.
It has happened for other teams though. During the Champions Trophy in England in 2004, USA also included four players over 40 for their ODIs against New Zealand at The Oval and Australia in Southampton.
Netherlands fielded three over-40s in four of their matches in the 1996 World Cup, while East Africa twice had three in the inaugural men's tournament in 1975.
In Tests, England fielded five players over 40 (two of them, George Gunn and Wilfred Rhodes, were over 50) in all four matches in the West Indies in 1929-30. Apart from that, there have been quite a few instances of three, most recently by South Africa in all five Tests in England in 1951 (skipper Dudley Nourse, Eric Rowan and the debutant opening bowler Geoff Chubb). In the Ashes decider at The Oval in 1926, both sides included three over-40s.
The record for T20Is is unlikely ever to be broken: the Falkland Islands actually fielded nine players over 40 in several of their matches against Costa Rica in Guacima in 2025. They included Andrew Brownlee, at 62, the oldest male player in any official international.
Aneurin Donald made his England debut last week. He's currently with his third county - has anyone else not been selected until they were with their third county team? asked Peter McKenzie from England
Aneurin "Nye" Donald made his debut for England in the first T20I against Sri Lanka last week in Southampton. Donald, who's now 29, started his county career with his native Glamorgan in 2014, and joined Hampshire in 2019 before moving again to Derbyshire during 2023.
I think the last man to complete this unusual treble was Michael Carberry, who played for Surrey (2001) and Kent (2003) before joining Hampshire in 2006: he won his first Test cap in Bangladesh in 2010. Alex Wharf, now a Test umpire, played for Yorkshire (1994) and Nottinghamshire (1998) before joining Glamorgan in 2000 and playing the first of his 13 ODIs for England in 2004. Not long before that, in December 2002, Gareth Batty made his England debut while a Worcestershire player, following spells with Yorkshire and Surrey (where he later returned).
About 125 years earlier, in Melbourne in 1877, the 49-year-old bowler James Southerton appeared in the first Test of all. He was playing for Surrey at the time, but had previously represented Sussex and Hampshire. In those days, before the County Championship was centrally organised, the qualification rules were much less stringent.
It doesn't really count, but Marcus North, the current England selector, played for four different counties - Durham, Lancashire, Derbyshire and Gloucestershire - before making his debut for Australia in 2008-09 (he later played for Hampshire and Glamorgan as well). This is not necessarily a complete list as far as England is concerned, so please let me know if you can find anyone else!
Jordan Hermann scored 150 in his first ODI the other day. Was this a record? asked Neil Cooper from South Africa
Left-hander Jordan Hermann, whose brother Rubin has also played white-ball matches for South Africa, cracked 150 in his first one-day international, against Namibia in Windhoek on September 9. That actually equals the highest score on ODI debut: another South African, Matthew Breetzke, also made 150 against New Zealand in Lahore in 2025. Before that, the record had been held since 1978 by the great West Indian opener Desmond Haynes, who scored 148 in his first ODI, against Australia in Antigua.
Razaullah hit nine sixes in his first Test match. Was this a record? asked Aamer Mustafa from Pakistan
A surprise call-up for Pakistan's side for the third Test against England at Edgbaston earlier this month, Razaullah followed four wickets in England's first innings with a rollicking 81 from 63 balls in Pakistan's second, almost single-handedly turning a likely innings defeat into a potentially tricky chase for England. Razaullah clouted nine sixes, equalling the record for a debutant: New Zealand's Tim Southee also hit nine during his unbeaten 77 against England in Napier in 2008.
Kyle Mayers hit seven sixes during his match-winning unbeaten 210 on debut for West Indies against Bangladesh in Chattogram in 2021.
The only man to hit more sixes in any innings for Pakistan is Wasim Akram, who clobbered 12 in his 257 not out against Zimbabwe in Sheikhupura in 1996.
Razaullah equalled the record for the most sixes in a Test innings in England, set by Ben Stokes in his furious 155 against Australia at Lord's in 2023. Eight of Razaullah's sixes came off England's pace bowlers. When Nathan Astle blitzed 222 against England in Christchurch in 2002, ten of his 11 sixes came off the fast men (including three in succession off Andy Caddick).
Further to last week's question about Ollie Robinson's great series against Pakistan, in the whole summer he took 28 wickets in just four Tests. Has anyone ever bettered this in just four Tests? asked Michael Ford, among others
In addition to his efforts against Pakistan Ollie Robinson played one Test against New Zealand earlier in the summer. His seven wickets in that match at Lord's give him 28 at 9.32 overall during the season. Only two bowlers have taken more in an English summer in which they played exactly four Tests: the West Indian slow left-armer Alf Valentine claimed 33 at 20.42 in 1950, while the England fast bowler Fred Trueman took 29 at 13.31 against India in 1952. Another West Indian, Michael Holding, also took 28 wickets in four Tests in 1976.
In a whole English season, the record is Jim Laker's 46 wickets in the five matches of the 1956 Ashes: Australia's Terry Alderman occupies the next two spots on the list, with 42 wickets in 1989 and 41 in 1981 (both six-Test Ashes series). The most by someone playing seven Tests in an English summer is 39, by Jimmy Anderson in 2017, one ahead of Steve Harmison in 2004.
Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo's stats team helped with some of the above answers.
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