Essex’s Mel Hussain and Marcus Young have been selected in England’s squad to compete at the second Over-60s World Cup in India next year.
This will be England’s first outing at the World Cup, having not competed at the inaugural tournament, which was hosted on Australia’s Gold Coast in September 2022 and in which Pakistan defeated New Zealand in the final.
Mel, the older brother of former England and Essex captain Nasser, qualified just this season as the side’s one permitted 59-year-old.
Meanwhile, Marcus is 68 and has been a bus driver for Stagecoach, out of their Bow depot, for the past 39 years, with his company describing him as “a real credit to the Bow team and to us at Stagecoach.”
“We at Essex Seniors are proud to have them both in our set-up,” added Essex Cricket’s 60+ 1st XI manager, Mark Taylor. “Both were instrumental in helping England overcome Australia in this season’s Grey Ashes.”
Those Grey Ashes saw England face their oldest foes in five ODIs in July, with grounds in Thame, Burton-on-Trent, Southport, Chipping Campden (Gloucestershire), and Littlehampton hosting the series.
Since then, England have also travelled to Toronto for the Canada Cup, where they faced Australia, the United States, as well as the host nation, winning two of their three matches.
The World Cup will be hosted in Chennai, on India’s south-eastern coast, between 19th February and 3rd March next year, with further details to be announced.
