Andrew Flintoff and Cricket's Best over 35s XI
Andrew Flintoff's unlikely cricketing comeback is set to continue this winter after the 36-year-old signed up to play for Brisbane Heat in the Australian Big Bash.
The Lancastrian isn't the only elder statesman still performing today. Veterans Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq were major contributors in Pakistan's big first innings score in the first Test against Australia. Shivnarine Chanderpaul remains a mainstay in the West Indies top order and, when fit, Ryan Harris is one of the best bowlers in the world.
Read on to see who has made the cut in the best over 35s XI. The only absolute essential for selection was being born in the 1970s. Other important criteria included maintained excellence, current level of play (international performance was largely favoured over domestic, Test over ODI and T20) and star power.
Feel free to comment on any particularly contentious admissions and omissions.
Stats courtesy of ESPNCricinfo.com and Howstat.com.
Honourable Mentions
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There are a number of notable names who just missed out on selection to our over 35s XI. Saeed Ajmal would have been a certainty prior to his battles with the International Cricket Council's chucking arbiters.
Another spinner unlucky to miss out was Sri Lanka's Rangana Herath. His countryman Tillakaratne Dilshan was also knocking on the door but couldn't quite get in.
Two of the best contemporary players never to have played Test cricket, Ed Joyce and David Hussey, failed to make the cut. As did Kiwis Kyle Mills and Jacob Oram, South African duo Imran Tahir and Robin Peterson and Zimbabwe's Ray Price.
1. Chris Gayle
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Age: 35
He may be approaching veteran status but Chris Gayle still has one of the sharpest eyes in the world game. Even at 35, the Jamaican is capable of huge hitting and can destroy attacks when the mood strikes.
Assuming he regains his fitness and the West Indies Cricket Board sort out their differences with the players, Gayle will be one of the big stars at next year's World Cup.
2. Chris Rogers
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Age: 37
Most players are looking to retire when they reach their mid-30s. Not Chris Rogers, though, who was two weeks shy of his 36th birthday when he made his Test match comeback for Australia.
The much-travelled opener has made the the most of his late opportunity and was an integral part of the side that won the Ashes last winter.
Neat, unfussy and gutsy, Rogers has given hope to journeymen across the world.
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3. Kumar Sangakkara
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Age: 36
A look at the ICC Test Rankings tells you everything you need to know about the ageless Kumar Sangakkara. The world's top-rated batsman in the five-day game is also in the top five in the ODI rankings.
Having relinquished the wicketkeeping gloves, the 36-year-old's stellar international career looks set to continue for some time yet.
The Sri Lankan remains one of the finest performers in the modern game.
4. Shivnarine Chanderpaul
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Age: 40
The first of two forty-somethings to make our XI is Shivnarine Chanderpaul. To put the left-hander's longevity into context, consider that his West Indian colleague Jason Holder was just two when Chanderpaul made his Test debut.
Age shows no sign of slowing the Guyanese batsman, either. In 2014, Chanderpaul has scored 456 runs at an average of 116.25. Not bad for a 40-year-old.
5. Younis Khan
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Age: 36
Younis Khan has shown in the first Test against Australia that he remains one of the most accomplished batsmen in world cricket. Coming in with the score at 7-2, the 36-year-old showed all his experience while compiling a potentially match-winning century.
There are more exciting batsmen to watch, but for pure accumulation, you can't go wrong with Younis, especially in the five-day game.
6. Misbah-Ul-Haq
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Age: 40
The eldest of our elder statesmen is Pakistani captain Misbah-ul-Haq. With a solid technique and unflappable temperament, Misbah is a solid presence in the Pakistan middle order.
Like his countryman Younis Khan, there's nothing flash about Misbah. He's made a career out of steady accumulation and continues to do so to this day.
7. Brad Haddin
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Age: 37
Age hasn't dimmed the competitive fire burning inside Brad Haddin. Just ask Ahmed Shehzad, who was on the receiving end of a verbal volley from the Aussie stumper during the recent T20 International.
A quality gloveman and a highly dangerous batsman in all forms of the game, Haddin is a typically ferocious Australian wicketkeeper. Many an opposition player will be glad when he finally hangs up the gloves.
8. Daniel Vettori
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Age: 35
When discussing the names of the top bowlers of recent years, the name of Daniel Vettori is often overlooked. It shouldn't be, given that the bespectacled spinner has 360 Test wickets to his name.
The New Zealander's batting has improved markedly throughout his lengthy career, too, as 4,516 runs at an average of 30.10 suggests he is more of an all-rounder rather than just a bowler.
Vettori may not have the mystery of other spinners, but the age-old virtues of line, length and giving the ball a good rip have served him well since his international debut in 1997.
9. Andrew Flintoff
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Age: 36
After heavyweight boxing, cycling through South America and battling James Corden on TV panel show A League of Their Own, Andrew Flintoff has returned to what he does best.
Strictly speaking, Flintoff shouldn't really make our veteran XI. Six T20 wickets and 21 runs in three English T20 games doesn't really make much of a case for selection.
Those performances were good enough to persuade former Lancashire team-mate Stuart Law to take a punt on Flintoff, who'll be playing for Brisbane in the Big Bash.
The Lancastrian's best days may be behind him but his star power remains undimmed.
10. Zaheer Khan
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Age: 36
With 311 Test wickets to his name, Zaheer Khan has been India's premier seamer in recent years. The 36-year-old is reaching the twilight of an impressive career but has shown no signs of retiring.
Given India's paucity of fast bowling options, he could yet make an unlikely late charge into the defending champion's World Cup plans.
His left-arm seam would provide a nice balance to our veteran attack.
11. Ryan Harris
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Age: 35
The career of Ryan Harris is a case of what might have been. A haul of 103 wickets at an average of 22.56 mark him out as one of the premier fast bowlers around when fit. And that's the rub. The 35-year-old has been plagued by injury. If his body had held up to the rigours of the international game, he could have become an all-time great.
Instead, spectators have been treated to a series of hugely impressive cameos. He could yet enjoy a World Cup swansong if the physios can get him out in the middle long enough.
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