“You might find it interesting to compare the two teams,” remarked Chris Lowe, the manager of England’s Over-70s, responding to my inquiry. “Since you’re a journalist, it’s likely you will.” It wouldn’t be right to ignore this angle, so let’s examine the fortunes of Brendon McCullum’s England squad over the winter in parallel with their Over-70s counterparts, whose schedules mirrored those of the younger players.
Both teams kicked off their seasons in Australia, where Ben Stokes’s men faced a heavy 4-1 defeat in the Ashes series. Meanwhile, the Over-70s enjoyed a resounding 3-0 victory in the aptly named Silver Ashes.
Facing pressure to retain his position, McCullum called his players together for the T20 World Cup, where their journey concluded in the semi-finals against India, the tournament champions. On that same March day, Jacob Bethell’s century was in vain in Mumbai, while the Over-70s successfully defended their World Cup title, defeating Australia in the final held in Christchurch.
This triumph marked the end of a five-week tour for the 16-player squad, during which they played 15 matches and returned home with the two most prestigious trophies available.
Interestingly, the first three matches were warm-up games against local teams—a strategy that some might say contrasts sharply with the inadequately prepared senior England team that played only one intra-squad match before losing the opening Ashes Test in just two days.
“I’m not going to give any lessons to the senior England side,” Lowe replied tactfully. “But we felt it was important. The preparation paid off; by the time we played international games, we were ready to go.” This can likely be attributed to the extensive experience possessed by the Over-70s players.
Lowe’s team is made up of some of the best from a growing cohort of older cricketers, as 135 teams from 36 counties are actively participating in over-60s and over-70s cricket. Due to the increasing interest, a new regional over-65s competition is set to launch this summer, and there is even a Silver Stumps podcast dedicated to England’s veteran cricket scene.
