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Australia's Test cricket team old enough to be the oldest since the 1920s, Knox argues in new opinion column

Columnist Malcolm Knox observes that Australia's veteran Test players continue to defy expectations of decline

By LineZotpaper
Published
Read Time1 min
Sources3 outlets
The Australian men's Test cricket team is the oldest since the 1920s, but its senior players keep delivering performances that belie their ages, according to a new opinion column by Malcolm Knox published across Nine newspapers.

In an opinion column syndicated in the Brisbane Times, Sydney Morning Herald and WA Today, Malcolm Knox argues that while the cricket world keeps expecting Australia's Test team to act its age, the players keep saying "Not yet."

Knox notes that Mitchell Starc's hairline is the only part of him that looks as old as 36, while Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, injury-free in Durban, bowled with the pace and freshness of men in their early 20s. Steve Smith, at 37, continues to refine his personal routines and pursue perfection, the column states.

The column, titled "Money talks: Why Australia can afford to have the oldest Test team since the 1920s", was published on October 17, 2026. The full text was truncated in the available versions, but the headline signals an argument that financial resources within Australian cricket help explain the team's ability to retain experienced players.

Knox is a journalist, author and columnist for Nine newspapers.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • Australia's Test team selection strategy has implications for the national team's performance in upcoming series.
  • The aging core of the side raises questions about succession planning and the development of younger Test cricketers.
  • The financial argument in the column touches on broader questions about how Cricket Australia's resources influence team composition.

Background

Australia's Test cricket team has maintained a remarkably stable core of senior players across multiple formats for several years. This group has been central to Australia's success in Test cricket, including series wins at home and abroad. The current team's average age has become a talking point among cricket observers, as most national sides tend to refresh their line-ups more frequently.

Key Perspectives

Cricket Australia selectors: The continued selection of experienced players suggests confidence that performance levels justify retaining the current group despite advancing ages.

Critics and fans: Some observers argue that the team needs to blood younger players to ensure a smooth transition when the current stars eventually retire.

Players themselves: The column suggests the senior players feel they are still performing at their peak and have no immediate plans to step away from Test cricket.

What to Watch

  • Whether any of the senior fast bowlers or batters retire from Test cricket in the next 12 months.
  • Selection decisions for the next major Test series or tour.
  • The performance of younger players in domestic cricket as potential successors.

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

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