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The oldest living Test cricketer in the world, South Africa's Ron Draper passed away at the age of 98 years and 63 days in a retirement home on February 28.
Born on December 24, 1926 at Oudtshoorn, Cape Province, Draper played first-class cricket for 15 years.
Draper's short Test career
He made his Test debut against Australia at Johannesburg in February 1950. On his debut, he batted at no.3 and scored 15 runs before falling to Bill Johnston. The Test ended in a draw.
His next and final Test appearance was at Gqeberha in March 1950. He was dismissed by Keith Miller in the first innings and Johnston in the second. He departed for single-digit scores as South Africa lost by an innings and 259 runs. He never played Test cricket again.
Draper's first-class numbers
The wicketkeeper-batter played 48 first-class matches. He scored 3,290 runs at an average of 41.64 including 11 centuries and as many half-centuries.
Current oldest living Test cricketer
Currently, former Australian cricketer Neil Harvey is the oldest living Test player in the world. Harvey, who played 79 Tests for Australia, is 96 years old. He was born on October 8, 1928.
South Africa in Champions Trophy semifinals
Meanwhile, South Africa have almost confirmed their place in the last four of ongoing ICC Chammpions Trophy 2025. South Africa beat Afghanistan in their campaign opener whereas the clash against Australia was washed out due to rain.
The Temba Bavuma-led side will go up against Jos Buttler's England at National Stadium, Karachi on March 1. This will be the last time Buttler will play as captain of England. A win will help South Africa finish on top of Group B. The Proteas need to ensure that they don't lose by a big margin to ensure a place in the semifinals. Their net run rate (NRR) of +2.140 is way better than Afghanistan's -0.990.
