Kent all-rounder Darren Stevens has been included in the England Over-40 squad for this month’s one-off fixture against Wales Over-40.
The 47-year-old Stevens has been capped 326 times in first-class cricket – and has not formally retired from professional cricket.
“I’ve still got the bit between my teeth. I still love the challenges. It comes down to desire, desire to keep competing and keep challenging myself each year,” said Stevens recently.
“If I say to you now, ‘I’m finishing at the end of the year’, my body will shut down because it will know it’s coming to an end. Whereas in my mind I’m like, ‘No, no, no, I’m still playing in 2023‘, and that’s how I look at it.
“I ask them all the time: ‘When do you know? How do you know? I just want to keep playing.’ And they say, ‘You don’t know yet. You keep playing.’ They all say you’ll know when you know. At the minute, I’ve not got that at all. I’ve thought about it, but then I’m like, ‘I’m loving this.'”
Former Proteas fast bowler Andre Nel will be the squad’s assistant coach.
England Over-40 squad
- Chris Swallow
- Mohammad Akhtar
- Simon Birtwistle
- Adam Braddock
- Simon Guy
- Chris Hewison
- Tauseef Kazmi
- Andy Short
- Roy Smith
- Darren Stevens
- Aaron Watson
- Ash Zaidi
- Chris Humphrey (head coach)
- Andre Nel (assistant coach)
- Sean Cooper (strength and conditioning coach)