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. 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.
Match Summary And Bowling Dominance
Hicks Breaks Nearly Century-Old Record with Five-Wicket Haul
In a remarkable achievement, Hicks has claimed a five-wicket haul, breaking a historic record that stood for nearly a century. The previous record was held by Australian left-arm spinner Bert Ironmonger, who took five wickets at the age of 49 years and 314 days against South Africa in 1932.
Ironmonger’s performance was part of an extraordinary Test match where he recorded two five-wicket hauls on the same day, with figures of 5 for 6 and 6 for 18. This effort helped rout South Africa, who were dismissed for just 36 and 45 runs, leading to an innings victory for Australia.
Ironmonger played a total of 14 Tests before retiring in 1933 at the age of 50 years and 327 days, making him the second oldest player in Test history at that time.
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.
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.
