By Talat Mohsin

Cricketers usually retire from cricket in their early to late thirties. But West Indies Cecil Wright took everyone by surprise when he announced his retirement at the ripe old age of 85!

Wright has taken more than 7000 wickets during his 60-year-old career. At one point, he even took 538 wickets in five seasons, with an average of 1 wicket on every 27th ball.

He had made his debut for Jamaica against Barbados. In 1959, he had moved to London and had played for Crompton in the Central Lancashire
League. In 1962, he decided to stay in England for good. Wright was 49 years old when he made his test debut against Australia in the Ashes series-the coveted cricket series between Australia and England.

Wright has estimated that he has played in almost 2 million games. When asked about the secret to his health, he told the daily mirror-“I wish I knew the reason for my longevity, but I couldn’t tell you what it is.” About his eating habits, he said –“To be honest, I eat everything that is going but I don’t drink much, just the odd bear.” He further added that he keeps fit by exercising, walking and pottery.

He will play the last match of his career on 7 September. He will play for Uppermill near Oldham against Pennine league side Springhead.