Cricketers Who Started Their Career Late: It is every cricketer’s dream to represent their nation. There are various means an aspiring cricketer takes to reach the goal. A few are touted for greatness quite early in their career. On the other side, there are few cricketers who take time to reach the final destination. There are a few who fade away after making their debuts. But there are a few who go on to have stellar careers.
We look at 4 cricketers whose careers started late:
#4 Saeed Ajmal (30 years)
He weaved his magic whenever he had a ball in hand. Saeed Ajmal was one of the first mystery spinners in the world. He had the ability to outfox the best of batsmen. Ajmal initially found the bearings in red-ball cricket difficult.
In the limited-overs format though Ajmal got his groove immediately. He was the one who glamourized the ball that went away from the right-hander. Ajmal finished with 178 Test wickets and 184 ODI wickets. He retired in 2015. Ajmal made his debut at the age of 30.
#3 Kedar Jadhav (29 years)
He had a brief yet sparkling career in the mid-2010s. Kedar Jadhav made his presence felt in a strong Indian lineup. He was MS Dhoni’s discovery who saw potential in him. Jadhav was in and out of the side ever since he made his debut in 2014. He came into his own in 2017. The 3-match ODI series saw Jadhav at his best. He smashed a career-best 76 balls-120 in a steep run chase.
His part-time off-spin was more than just handy. He picked up wickets at regular intervals. Jadhav was crucial to India’s chances in the 2019 ODI World Cup. His strike rate of 101+ in ODIs is one of India’s highest in ODIs. He made his debut at the age of 29.
#2 Michael Hussey (29 years)
He was called Mr. Cricket. Michael Hussey continues to remain an inspiration. He is one of the most iconic late bloomers in game history. In a world-beating Australian team, Hussey had to wait long to make an impact. Hussey wasted no time to make an impact at the international level soon after making his debut.
He averaged in excess of 70 in Tests at one stage. Indian cricketer, Subramaniam Badrinath admitted that Hussey’s journey kept him going. Hussey was part of Australia’s World Cup-winning campaign in 2007. He played a key role in Australia’s revenge Ashes win in 2006-07. Hussey made his debut at the age of 29.
#1 Suryakumar Yadav (31 years)
He is one of the latest entrants to the late bloomers club. Suryakumar Yadav made his India debut in March 2021. He has then gone from strength to strength. Surya is currently ranked 2nd in T20I rankings. He has made the big leap in just 20 innings so far. His strike rate in T20Is is the highest among batsmen in full-member nations. Yadav is currently India’s premier T20 batsman. India’s T20 World Cup hopes lie big time on Surya’s form. He made his debut at the age of 31 years.
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