The Australia men’s cricket team created history when they took on South Africa on Day one of the first Test in Durban on Friday, by naming their oldest-ever playing XI in Test history.
What is more intriguing is that for the first time in 149 years, there is not a single player in the Australian Test playing XI in their 20s. As per Ric Finlay, a cricket statistician, this is the oldest Test team in 100 years and the seventh-oldest overall in the history of Test cricket.
Among the current playing XI featuring in the first Test, Nathan Lyon, who has played 143 Tests, is the oldest player at 38 years old, whereas Matthew Renshaw is the youngest at 30 years old.
Apart from Lyon, the other players who are aged 35 or more include Alex Carey (35 years old), Josh Hazlewood (35), Mitchell Starc (36) and Steve Smith (37). Skipper Pat Cummins is just 33 years old. , who overcame cancer and returned to the Australia Test playing XI for the first time in 10 years, is 34 years old.
In Australia’s 18-member squad, the average age of players is approximately 32.6. Only three players are under 30 years old, with 23-year-old Cooper Connolly being the youngest. Cameron Green is 27 years old, whereas Sam Harper, who is yet to make his Test debut for Australia, is 29 years old.
Talking about the first Test, won the toss and opted to bat first. However, the visitors were left in a spot of bother after openers Travis Head (9) and Maddinson (0) were dismissed in the first 11 overs, leaving the team at 24/2. Marnus Labuschagne (37) provided some resistance with Steve Smith (25) at the other end as the duo forged a 60-run partnership for the third wicket.
However, the loss of regular wickets saw Australia being restricted to 187/6 in 65.2 overs as bad light stopped play early on Friday. At stumps on Day one, Renshaw was unbeaten on 46 with Cummins not out on 33 at the other end.
This is Australia’s first series in since 2018, when the infamous Sandpapergate scandal involving , David Warner and Cameron Bancroft took place.
The three-match Test series is part of the 2025-27 World Test Championship () cycle. Australia lead the WTC standings with a points percentage (PCT) of 80, with the Proteas in second place with a PCT of 75.
