Chris Old

Personal information

Full name

Christopher Middleton Old

Born

22 December 1948 (age 68)
Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, England

Nickname

Chilly

Height

6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)

Batting style

Left-handed

Bowling style

Right arm fast-medium

Role

Bowler

International information

National side

England

Test debut (cap 455)

30 December 1972 v India

Last Test

2 August 1981 v Australia

ODI debut (cap 23)

5 September 1973 v Australia

Last ODI

4 February 1981 v West Indies

Domestic team information

Years

Team

1983–1985

Warwickshire

1981–1983

Northern Transvaal

1966–1982

Yorkshire

Career statistics

Competition	Tests	ODI	FC	LA
Matches	46	32	379	314
Runs scored	845	338	7,756	3,492
Batting average	14.82	18.77	20.84	19.72
100s/50s	–/2	–/1	6/27	–/13
Top score	65	51*	116	82*
Balls bowled	8,858	1,755	57,822	15,604
Wickets	143	45	1,070	418
Bowling average	28.11	22.20	23.48	20.86
5 wickets in innings	4	–	39	3
10 wickets in match	–	n/a	2	n/a
Best bowling	7/50	4/8	7/20	5/19
Catches/stumpings	22/–	8/–	214/–	72/–

Source: Cricinfo, 17 November 2008

Chris Old (born Christopher Middleton Old, 22 December 1948, Middlesbrough, Yorkshire) is a former English cricketer, who played 46 Tests and 32 ODIs from 1972 to 1981. A right-arm fast-medium bowler and lower order left-handed batsman, Old was a key feature of the Yorkshire side between 1969 and 1983, before finishing his career at Warwickshire in 1985. As a Test bowler for England he took 143 wickets, and scored useful runs in the famous 1981 Ashes series' Headingley victory.

The youngest of three brothers, Chris Old first made his mark in school cricket as a left handed batsman playing for Middlesbrough, Durham and England Schools. In 1962 he was recommended to Yorkshire, thus following in the footsteps of his older brothers Alan and Malcolm, who had already preceded him. He made his debut, aged 15, for Yorkshire 2nd XI against Lincolnshire at Grimsby in August 1964 as a batsman, scoring 26 in the first innings and 8 not out in the second, but he was subsequently encouraged by resident coach Arthur Mitchell to develop his bowling. He was still predominantly a batsman when he made his debut for the Yorkshire first team as a 17-year-old against Hampshire in 1966, scoring 3 runs and conceding 8 runs from 3 overs without taking a wicket. That was the start of a first-class cricket career lasting 20 years from 1966 to 1986.

He was mentored by the resident Yorkshire opening bowlers, Fred Trueman and Tony Nicholson, who took over 2800 wickets between them for the county and following Fred Truemans retirement in 1968 he became Nicholsons opening new ball bowling partner. He won his Yorkshire cap in 1969, and was named as the Cricket Writer's Club Young Cricketer of the Year in 1970. Old hit the 3rd fastest century of all time at Edgbaston in 1977, with 100 runs from 72 balls in 37 minutes, with the second 50 taking just 9 minutes. This feat won him the Walter Lawrence Trophy for the fastest century of the year. He was also nominated as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of 1979.

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