64-year-old Joanna Child makes T20I debut, and she’s not even oldest ever

There’s no age restriction to realise your dream, and Portuguese cricketer Joanna Child proved so. At 64 years and 181 days, she made her T20 International debut against Norway on April 7 2025, becoming the second oldest cricketer to do so.

Child’s debut was a testament to her dedication and love for the sport, even though her performance wasn’t as magnified as her impact of playing international cricket at this age. 

Her debut game against Norway in Albergaria saw her surpass previous records held by Falkland Islands’ Andrew Brownlee (62 years and 145 days), followed by Mally Moore (62 years, 25 days) of the Cayman Islands. However, even at 64, she isn’t even the oldest ever cricketer to make a T20I debut as the record is held by Gibraltar’s Sally Barton, who was 66 years and 334 days old when she made her T20I debut against Estonia on April 21 last year. 

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Here’s the list of oldest women cricketers –

• Sally Barton (Gibraltar) – 66 years and 334 days
• Joanna Child (Portugal) – 64 years and 181 days
• Mally Moore (Cayman Islands) – 62 years and 25 days
• Marcia Moiten (Cayman Islands) – 58 years and 192 days
• Philippa Stahelin (Guernsey) – 58 years and 33 days

Joanna’s performance

Joanna’s debut didn’t unfold to her liking, scoring just two runs in her first game, with Portugal winning by 16 runs. 

In the second match the next day, Joanna didn’t get to bat but conceded 11 runs in four overs, with Norway completing the run chase and levelling the three-match series 1-1. 

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During the final game of the series on April 9, Joanna neither got to bat nor was handed over the ball, with her team winning the match by nine wickets and sealing the series 2-1. 

(With inputs from agencies)