Courtesy: ESPNcrickinfo
Some say age is just a number, and 45-year-old cricketer Darren Stevens proved this to be true. Darren Stevens hit a mesmerizing 190 off 149 balls, including 15 sixes, to single-handedly propel Kent to a first innings score of 307 against Glamorgan on day two of their LV= Insurance County Championship match.
Stevens added a 166-run ninth-wicket partnership with Miguel Cummins, who scored just one run. This was one of the most successful first-class partnerships, with one player scoring more than 90% of the runs. There were a total of five extras. Stevens scored 160 of the 166 runs in the partnership (96.39 per cent).
The 190 made him the oldest man in England at 45 years and 21 days, to hit a first-class century in 35 years. He also admitted that the memory of his late father, who died last year of a COVID-related illness, had still affected him during games this season.
Stevens’ father died in a care home last summer, and the memory has stayed with him.
“The old man, I’ll tell you, I don’t shy away from stuff like this… like the game up at Northants, I got pretty emotional, I had to pull out a few times.”
“You know I miss him, we all miss him, having a bench down here and having a coffee with him every morning, but yeah he’s looking down on me and he will be for a long time.”
Stevens, who turned 45 last month, scored his 36th first-class century. Since 1995, he has been the oldest active player in County cricket. In 2019, he became the oldest player since Walter Keeton in 1949 to register a first-class double-hundred. He became the oldest Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 88 years this year. A beautiful display by the Englishman to achieve this feat.
Frank Stephens, Darren’s father, would be proud of his son. We are sure he would be looking upon him from above.