Isle of Man veteran off spinner Joanne Hicks has officially rewritten the history books by shattering a nearly century old record, becoming the oldest bowler across both men and women international cricket formats to claim a five wicket haul. At the age of 51 years and 173 days old, Hicks secured this landmark milestone during a T20 international fixture against Greece Women hosted at the Moara Vlasiei Cricket Ground in Romania. Delivering a career best performance, the veteran player dismantled the opposition batting lineup to finish with remarkable figures of 5/10, which marks her third career five wicket haul in international T20 matches.
Match Summary And Bowling Dominance
By claiming this five wicket haul, Hicks shattered a historic milestone that had remained untouched for nearly a century. The long standing record was previously held by Australian left arm spinner Bert Ironmonger, who was 49 years and 314 days old when he picked up five wickets against South Africa in 1932. Ironmonger’s feat came during a remarkable Test match where he bagged two five-fers on the same day, finishing with figures of 5 for 6 and 6 for 18, to rout South Africa for 36 and 45, handing Australia an innings victory. Ironmonger went on to feature in 14 Tests before wrapping up his international career in 1933. Retiring at 50 years and 327 days old, the Australian icon was the second oldest player in Test history at the time he stepped away from the game.
What makes Hicks’ latest feat even more extraordinary is that her international career only launched well into her late forties. Her recent performance, however, takes that legacy a step further, surpassing both her own women’s international record and the long-standing overall record held by Ironmonger. Her ruthless spell set up an effortless win for the Isle of Man, ensuring her historic individual milestone was capped off by a resounding team triumph.
Having made her Isle of Man debut at 47, she first wrote her name into the record books back in 2024 by bagging two five-wicket hauls in under a week against Greece and Malta. The second of those spells, coming at 49 years and 168 days old against Malta, originally set the mark for the oldest woman to claim a five-for in international cricket. It was a masterclass in precision bowling as Hicks ripped through the Greek batting order with figures of 5 for 10.
