New Delhi: Love for cricket knows no age. One of the greatest example is 83-year-old Scottish cricketer Alex Steele. The wicketkeeper made his Scottish debut against England’s Lancashire in 1967, but his love and passion for the game hasn’t changed. A Forfarshire Cricket Club cricketer, Steele is still in the game and a recent video of him holding a wicket went viral.
Love for Cricket
The 83-year-old was spotted on the pitch with an oxygen tank on his back, but that didn’t stop him from giving it his all. Since 2020 he has idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a fatal respiratory disease.
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Steele fights back at life
Three years ago, doctor told Steele that he has only one year left. Alex, who is battling a serious lung disease. But, in 2023, he is seen doing wicketkeeping in a local club match with an oxygen cylinder on his back.
Alex Steele has played first class cricket. He made his first class debut in 1967. After playing eight matches for his team, Steel took a break from cricket for some time and then came back to play again in 1977. He played three more first class matches in the next three years.
Some stop cricket when they old 👴 And legends stop getting old when they play cricket❤ That's 83 years old Alex Steele behind the stumps with an Oxygen cylinder on his back! I'm thinking the oxygen cylinder isn't the real oxygen, cricket is the real oxygen for him😁 #Cricket 🏏 pic.twitter.com/LgyeO1F7fB
— Suleman Modan (@Figjamfan) August 6, 2023
Alex Steel’s first class career
As a wicket-keeper batsman, Alex has 621 runs in 14 first class matches at an average of 24.84. Alex also scored 2 half-centuries. His highest score is 97 runs. Alex also took 11 catches and two stumpings.
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At the age of 83, about playing with an oxygen cylinder hanging on his back, he said, “I don’t think about illness at all. Most important is our attitude. I know people who feel sorry for themselves when something bad happens to them. But I have never felt that way for myself. I did wicketkeeping for 30 overs in a club match. I am thrilled about it.”
Recently, a video of an old man playing “imaginary cricket” went viral on social media. In the video, the old man imitated a hitter who appeared to hit a six. After the “imaginary six,” the man even celebrated the shot by raising what he believed to be a racket into the air.
ODI World Cup schedule
As for the ODI World Cup, the schedule of events has already been set, but there are likely to be some changes in the coming days. The World Cup match between India and Pakistan, originally scheduled for October 15, has been postponed by a day due to the Navaratri clash. Pakistan will play Sri Lanka in Hyderabad on October 10 instead of October 12, according to PTI reports, giving them a three-day break before their match against India.
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