Oman opener Aamir Kaleem became the oldest player to feature in a T20 World Cup game when his side took the field against Zimbabwe in Kolkata on Monday, February 9.
Aamir Kaleem breaks all-time record, Wayne Madsen slots in at eighth
Kaleem, at 44 years 81 days, broke Ryan Campbell’s record by 47 days. The latter was previously the oldest player to feature in a T20 World Cup game when he played for Hong Kong at the 2016 edition of the tournament. Earlier in the day, Italy captain Wayne Madsen had become the eighth-oldest player (then seventh) on the list when he lined up against Scotland.
Campbell had interestingly made two ODI appearances for Australia in 2002 and only moved to Hong Kong in 2012, where he joined their domestic circuit. He was later picked for the T20 World Cup in India, where he played three games, scoring 36 runs and picking up two wickets.
Brad Hogg held the record before Campbell, playing for Australia against Pakistan at 43 years 45 days during the 2014 edition. Chris Gayle features in the top 10 as well, having made his last T20I appearance at the 2021 World Cup against Australia at 42 years 46 days.
Also Read: T20 World Cup 2026, where to watch live: TV channels, live score and streaming
Kaleem had an outing to forget on his record-breaking appearance. After being put into bat by Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza, the opener could last just seven balls before he was caught at deep third off Blessing Muzarabani.
He was the third Oman batter to fall, with just 16 on the board in the fourth over. They were soon reduced to 27-5, and only a 42-run partnership between Sufyan Mehmood and Vinayak Shukla eventually took them into three figures. Zimbabwe made light work of the 104-run chase, getting there in the 14th over for the loss of two wickets. Muzarabani was named the player of the match for figures of 3-16.
Match 8, Zimbabwe vs Oman
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Oldest players at T20 World Cup, full list
| Player | Age | Team | Opposition | Year |
| Aamir Kaleem | 44y 81d | Oman | Zimbabwe | 2026 |
| Ryan Campbell | 44y 34d | Hong Kong | Scotland | 2016 |
| Frank Nsubuga | 43y 285d | Uganda | West Indies | 2024 |
| Brad Hogg | 43y 45d | Australia | Pakistan | 2014 |
| Khurram Khan | 42y 273d | UAE | Zimbabwe | 2014 |
| Najeeb Amar | 42y 172d | Hong Kong | Nepal | 2014 |
| Chris Gayle | 42y 46d | West Indies | Australia | 2021 |
| Wayne Madsen | 42y 38d | Italy | Scotland | 2026 |
| Naseem Khushi | 41y 303d | Oman | Scotland | 2024 |
| Mohammad Nadeem | 41y 272d | Oman | Namibia | 2024 |
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