Adam Voges became Test cricket’s oldest debut centurion when he smashed a ton against the West Indies in Dominica recently. At the age of 35, Voges came in with over a decade of experience and 10,000 runs in First-Class cricket. Nishad Pai Vaidya writes that Voges’s case bears testimony to the fact that age is just a number and is a cue to selectors to perhaps shift from their conventional youth-favouring policies.
We have often heard of Australian batsmen toiling in domestic cricket for years before making it to the highest level. Mark Waugh had scored tons of runs before he was handed a Test cap in 1990. Likewise, Mike Hussey was 30 when he first played a Test match, with a bagful of runs behind him in domestic cricket. Both Hussey and Waugh went on to write their names alongside the finest batsmen their country has produced. Their tales have inspired many a cricketer on the wrong side of 30 to push towards their dreams, challenging the age barriers.
There is now Adam Voges who, at age 35, became the oldest to score a ton on Test debut. Voges has been around the Australian setup for a few years, primarily as a limited-overs player. In One-Day Internationals (ODIs), he averages over 40 in 31 games spread over seven years. And then, in Dominica, he donned the Baggy Green after over 10,000 runs and 13 years in First-Class cricket. Unlike Waugh or Hussey, Voges may not have enough time to carve a stellar career, but he will leave his mark.
Voges is more like his former statemate Chris Rogers, who at the age of 35, made a comeback in the Test side and cemented his spot at the top. Voges has said that Rogers’ Ashes comeback in 2013 had inspired him and kept his hopes alive. Ironically, an injury to Rogers on the eve of the first Test against the West Indies helped Voges win that coveted cap. Both Rogers and Voges are eager to make merry in whatever time they get at the highest level.
Cricketers are often ignored post 30 as selectors prefer younger blood with an eye on the future. This is perhaps one of the most instituted selection policies in India, where over-30 are rarely given an opportunity to make international debuts or even given a comeback. Voges and Rogers are cases in point that age is just a number. If a player is fit and can deliver the goods, there is no reason why he should be ignored from selection.
In the Indian context, the mind goes to Ashish Nehra, who was a regular in the Indian one-day side in the 2000s and in the lead-up to the 2011 World Cup. Despite being India’s most successful bowler since his comeback in 2009 until the World Cup victory, Nehra was never considered again even though he recovered from his injury months after the tournament — this despite India lacking stable pace options. India even turned to an unfit Zaheer Khan.
In the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015 and the Champions League T20 last year, Nehra showed that he has the fire to perform. Although injury prone in his young days, he seems fit and those repeated niggles haven’t brought down his pace. The Indian selectors would do well to consider him if a berth opens up in the near future. They currently have UmeshYadav, Mohammad Shami and Mohit Sharma, who formed a good pace bowling combo in the World Cup. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and DhawalKulkarni are also in the setup. Perhaps, Nehra could come in with the ICC World T20 2016 in mind as he has had fair success in the format. With India playing a few T20s ahead of that event, the left-armer could be an option unless of course, age works against him!
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