Here, we explore five Cricketers players who entered the international scene later than most but quickly made a significant impact.
5. Michael Hussey
Michael Hussey is always the first name on the lips when talking about late entrants, and is an inspiration for those toling hard in domestic cricket but unable to make it to their national side. Making his Australia debut at the age of 30, Hussey went on to become a legend of the game and earned the moniker of Mr. Cricket.
He featured in 79 Tests, 185 ODIs and 38 T20Is, amassing over 12000 runs, being the backbone of the Australian middle-order and part of some of their most famous wins. He also made his mark in the IPL, batting for CSK Hussey won the Orange Cap in 2013.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Michael Edward Hussey |
| Date of Birth | May 27, 1975 |
| Birthplace | Mount Lawley, Western Australia |
| Batting Style | Left-handed |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm off-break |
| Role | Middle-order batsman |
| International Debut | Test: November 19, 2005 vs. India |
| ODI: February 16, 2004 vs. India | |
| T20I: September 11, 2005 vs. England | |
| Last International Appearance | Test: January 4, 2013 vs. Sri Lanka |
| ODI: March 11, 2011 vs. India | |
| T20I: June 21, 2009 vs. Pakistan | |
| Test Matches | 79 |
| Test Runs | 6,235 |
| Test Average | 51.52 |
| Centuries (100s) | 19 |
| Half-centuries (50s) | 30 |
| ODI Matches | 185 |
| ODI Runs | 5,570 |
| ODI Average | 48.15 |
| Centuries (100s) | 17 |
| Half-centuries (50s) | 37 |
| T20I Matches | 38 |
| T20I Runs | 734 |
| T20I Average | 32.04 |
| Centuries (100s) | 0 |
| Half-centuries (50s) | 6 |
| Domestic Teams | Western Australia, Chennai Super Kings, Perth Scorchers |
| Notable Achievements | ICC Cricket World Cup winner (2007, 2015) |
| ICC T20 World Cup winner (2007) | |
| Named ICC ODI Player of the Year (2006) | |
| Part of the Australian Test team that dominated world cricket |
4. Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav was being ignored for a long time by the national selectors despite being a consistent performer at domestic levels and in the IPL. It took three dominating seasons in the IPL in 2018, 2019, and 2020 plus the mountain of runs for Mumbai in domestic cricket and SKY broke the door down on the selectors.
He’s now a first-choice batsman in India’s T20I team and is making a strong contention for a place in the ODI eleven too. In 14 T20I, Suryakumar averages 39 and has struck at a brilliant strike rate of 165.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Suryakumar Ashok Yadav |
| Date of Birth | September 14, 1990 |
| Place of Birth | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Batting Style | Right-handed batsman |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm medium pace |
| Role | Batsman |
| Domestic Team | Mumbai |
| IPL Team | Mumbai Indians (since 2018) |
| Debut in T20I | March 14, 2021 vs England |
| Debut in ODI | July 18, 2021 vs Sri Lanka |
| Debut in Test | December 26, 2021 vs Australia |
| Notable Achievements | – Fastest fifty in T20I cricket (50 off 31 balls) – Consistent performer in domestic and IPL cricket |
| ODI Matches | 34 |
| T20I Matches | 60 |
| Test Matches | 14 |
| ODI Runs | 1,194 |
| T20I Runs | 2,234 |
| Test Runs | 678 |
3. Saeed Ajmal
At his best, Saeed Ajmal was almost unplayable off the pitch, his variations indecipherable from the hand. Looking at his immediate success for Pakistan, it felt a surprise that he hadn’t made his international debut until age 31.
He played a crucial role in Pakistan’s 2009 T20 World Cup victory and soon owned the Test arena. Ajmal enjoyed success for most of his career- between 2008 and 2015, the snapped up 178 Tests wickets at an average of 28 and 184 ODI wickets at 22. However, his career saw a sudden dip when he was reported for illegal action in 2014 and found it difficult to maintain his dominance.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Saeed Ajmal |
| Date of Birth | October 14, 1977 |
| Place of Birth | Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan |
| Batting Style | Right-handed |
| Bowling Style | Off-spin |
| Role | Bowler |
| International Debut | ODI: July 30, 2008 |
| T20I: June 16, 2009 | |
| Test: October 2, 2009 | |
| Last International Match | ODI: March 10, 2015 |
| T20I: March 21, 2014 | |
| Test: February 8, 2014 | |
| ODI Matches | 113 |
| ODI Wickets | 184 |
| Best ODI Bowling | 7/19 |
| T20I Matches | 64 |
| T20I Wickets | 85 |
| Best T20I Bowling | 4/22 |
| Test Matches | 35 |
| Test Wickets | 178 |
| Best Test Bowling | 7/55 |
| Notable Achievements | Ranked as the No. 1 bowler in ICC ODI rankings; Known for his unique bowling action and effectiveness in limited-overs formats. |
| Retirement | Announced retirement from international cricket in 2017. |
2. Ryan Harris
Ryan Harris wasn’t as quick as some of the other fast bowlers of his generation, but he was enviably accurate with his lines and lengths. Nicknamed ‘Rhino’, he was a late entrant to international cricket, debuting at the age of 29 in 2009.
His debut Test series in New Zealand in 2010 brought nine wickets and later that year he claimed nine in the Perth Ashes Test. However, injuries hurt him and took Test matches out of his career. He still managed to bowl superbly in the 2013 Ashes and finished with 24 wickets at 19.58. A knee injury ended his career in 2015, finishing with 113 Test scalps at 23.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Key player in Australia’s 2013 Ashes series victory, played a crucial role in several Test victories. |
| Date of Birth | 9 September 1979 |
| Birthplace | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Batting Style | Right-handed |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm fast-medium |
| Role | Bowler |
| Domestic Teams | Victoria, Queensland, Perth Scorchers, Adelaide Strikers |
| International Debut | ODI: 19 January 2009 vs. India |
| Test: 17 December 2010 vs. England | |
| Last International Match | ODI: 11 March 2015 vs. New Zealand |
| Test: 28 January 2015 vs. India | |
| Test Matches | 27 |
| ODI Matches | 29 |
| T20I Matches | 2 |
| Test Wickets | 113 |
| ODI Wickets | 44 |
| T20I Wickets | 2 |
| Best Bowling in Tests | 7/117 |
| Best Bowling in ODIs | 5/33 |
| Notable Achievements | Key player in Australia’s 2013 Ashes series victory, played crucial role in several Test victories. |
| Retirement | Announced retirement from all forms of cricket in 2015. |
1. Chris Rogers
Chris Rogers was another of those many batsmen who found it almost impossible to get into a stable, star-studded Australian team. But, Rogers did – and he made a splash at the start of his career.
Made his debut at the age of 31 in 2008, but didn’t get to play another Test until 2013. The 36-year-old then hammered England, first away from home and then at home. His average slowly picked up from the twenties to thirties and into the forties as he aggregated runs against South Africa, Pakistan, and India and finished against England in 2015 at an average of 42 after 25 Tests.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Christopher John Rogers |
| Date of Birth | 31 August 1977 |
| Place of Birth | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Batting Style | Left-handed |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm off-break |
| Role | Opening batsman |
| International Debut | Test: 6 January 2008 vs. India |
| Last International Match | Test: 14 January 2015 vs. India |
| Domestic Teams | Victoria, Western Australia, Melbourne Stars |
| Test Matches | 25 |
| Test Runs | 1,480 |
| Test Batting Average | 42.35 |
| Test Centuries | 3 |
| One Day Internationals (ODIs) | 29 |
| ODI Runs | 1,130 |
| ODI Batting Average | 30.54 |
| ODI Centuries | 1 |
| Notable Achievements | – Part of the Australian squad that won the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup – Known for his solid technique and ability to play long innings |
