Player Longevity

Novak Djokovic is the world’s oldest #1 tennis player, having last held the position at age 37. Gigi Buffon, one of football’s all-time greatest goalkeepers, hung up the gloves at age 45. Earlier this year, Luxembourgish table tennis player Ni Xia Lian became the oldest table tennis player in history to secure a win at the Olympics. She was 61 years old!

When it comes to player longevity, these world champs are showing us the way, inspiring us to keep up our love for the sport. One only needs to look at legends like Djokovic and Lebron James to see that being over 30 years old means nothing if you’re good enough.

In the cricket world, player longevity is important too. Here, Cricket For All discusses player longevity, and how our favourite athletes manage to keep up their form late into their 30s and even early 40s.

The 50-year old Test cricketer

Starting young and achieving longevity is one thing – starting late is another. Bert Ironmonger played Test cricket for Australia between 1928 and 1933, debuting at age 46! He played his final game at age 50, making him the second-oldest Test cricketer in history, behind famous Englishman Wilfred Rhodes who played his last Test match at age 52.

Bert managed to achieve all of this before today’s age of highly accurate health and science information. It just goes to show that age isn’t as big a hurdle as we may think!

How players maintain longevity

With lower-intensity sports like table tennis, or lower-intensity positions like being a goalie in soccer, it’s not unusual for players to be able to play for longer than in other sports, like AFL where the average retirement age is 32. However, the players in high-intensity sports who do play into their late 30s generally follow pretty rigorous exercise and diet routines.

• Constant improvement
  Even the best athletes in the world make a commitment to improving their game. Look at Novak Djokovic, who’s almost inarguably the world’s greatest ever tennis player, and still has a coach!

• Regular exercise
  As the body gets older, it becomes more and more important to maintain it with regular, intensive exercise and strength training. Lebron James works out 5 times a week, incorporating a mix of weightlifting, cardio and yoga. 

• Diet
  And lastly, diet is something all athletes pay lots of attention to. Athletes tend to eat a balanced diet with all the food groups, which is high in protein and calorie-appropriate. Steve Smith is known for eating eggs for breakfast, and lean meats for lunch and dinner. And by the way, it’s a myth that the late Shane Warne lived off baked beans during his time in India in 1998!

Player longevity is important, but developing the right cricket skills is even more so. Cricket For All is Adelaide’s team of specialist cricket coaches, helping you improve your game, no matter what age you are. Whether you’re looking to go professional, or just want to do it for yourself, private coaching with an expert from Cricket For All can help you get there. Contact our friendly team or book in online today.