T20 cricket is often seen as a young person’s game, but these eleven veterans prove age is just a number. From explosive batsmen to crafty spinners and seasoned wicketkeepers, this lineup showcases players who are still dominating T20s well into their 40s.
Faf du Plessis
Du Plessis has played over 424 T20s across his career, and is just 94 runs short of scoring 12,000 runs in the format. Since turning 40 last year, he has made 1,633 runs at 37.11 including two hundreds. He is only one of six batters with a T20 ton after turning 40, and the only one with two centuries. His 14 fifties are behind only Shoaib Malik on the list. Faf also boasts the highest strike rate in T20 history (151) among players with at least 1,000 runs scored after turning 40.
AB de Villiers
De Villiers’ presence here might be a surprise for two reasons. His last professional T20 was back in 2021, and he opened the innings just 17 times in his T20 career that spanned 340 games. However, the at 41, he showed at the World Championship of Legends that he can still dismantle the best bowlers, top-scoring with 429 runs at an average of 143. Playing as an opener, he was the only batter to score more than 200 runs in the competition; struck at a rate of 220; hit three hundreds and one fifty in six innings; and smashed 25 sixes – at more than four a game. He is a formidable choice at the top of the order.
Colin Ingram
A regular in domestic and franchise circuits, Ingram, who turned 40 in July, struck at 154 in this year’s T20 Blast. Just a week after turning 40, he smashed a 33-ball 69 against Surrey while batting at No.5, hitting five sixes and as many fours as he guided Glamorgan to 222-6. His aggressive left-handed batting makes him a perfect fit in the middle order.
Ravi Bopara
Bopara last played a T20I for England more than a decade ago, but remains a dangerous batter, having plied his trade across various T20 leagues since then. He has played 315 T20 games, making 6,343 runs with three hundreds, the most recent of which came against Surrey in the Blast quarter-finals. Bopara played a majority of his games for Essex between 2015 and 2019 before making a move to Sussex in 2020. He represented Northants this season. Bopara can also chip in with the ball, making the recently turned 40-year-old a reliable option.
Samit Patel
Like Bopara, Patel played his last T20I over a decade ago, in 2013, but he continues to make an impact in the T20 Blast. Across 258 games, he has scored 4,673 runs with 30 fifties and recently impressed with an unbeaten 83 off 50 balls against Northants. Patel also adds balance with his crafty left-arm spin, claiming 364 wickets in the competition, including 12 this season, proving he still has the skills to influence matches in both departments.
Mohammed Nabi
Nabi continues to shine for Afghanistan and in franchise competitions. Since the start of 2024, he has played 87 T20s for eight different sides. While there have not been many takeaways with the bat, he continues to shine with the ball, picking up 55 wickets. His economy rate of 6.66 remains the highlight, and is the third-best among bowlers from Full Member countries who have taken 50 wickets since January 2024.
MS Dhoni (c & wk)
A glimpse at his lightning-quick stumpings and you will find it tough to believe that Dhoni is 44 years of age. His T20 appearances have been limited to the IPL in the last six years, and while he rarely bats, each six still sends the fans into a frenzy.
David Wiese
The 40-year-old Wiese adds batting depth alongside his seam bowling. He has made 4,516 T20 runs in 410 games and also has 332 wickets, making him one of the finest all-rounders in the game. He has slightly gone off the boil this year, averaging 37.41 with the ball and just 10.50 with the bat, but will still walk into our XI based on past heroics and ability.
Liam Plunkett
Just turned 40, Plunkett has taken 154 wickets in 169 T20 matches at 27.89. He recently featured in Major League Cricket and took the key wicket of Rachin Ravindra, who was batting on 42 off 17 in the tournament opener. He will be the new ball bowler in the side ball.
Imran Tahir
The first name on the team sheet, Tahir, is, simply put, unstoppable. The 44-year-old has taken 565 wickets in 444 T20s, of which – hold your breath – 210 have come after he turned 40. He has also taken 284 wickets in those games, at an average of 18.38 and an economy of 6.88, which is better than his career economy of 6.97. This year, Tahir averages 15.66, his best ever in a calendar year since 2008 (!), and picked up his career-best figures of 5-21 in the CPL last month!
James Anderson
At 43, Anderson made a remarkable return to the T20 circuit this summer after an 11-year gap, turning out for Lancashire in the Blast. He picked up 20 wickets in 11 games at an average of 16.10, maintained an economy of under eight, and looked as sharp as ever.
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