Optimum Age

[squiz]

Any of you guys know what the optimum age for players is or when they start to go downhill into mediocrity?

 

[darko21]

I think the optimum age is 27-28. Emerson Sherborne is my off spinner and for the first few years of his international career, his average was high 20s in test. Now it has come down to mid 20s. However, my best bastman (Frasier Makepeace) was better in his 30s than in his 20s. Keepers I still have trouble with.

 

[timraa]

25-30 imo. depends how early they come into the game. if they are drafted at 18 then thats probaly right but if drafted at 22 maybe its a bit later. usually in their 4th or 5th year they step up another level

 

[Quagmire69]

mine are guns from day 1

 

[mahartaab]

What iave seen the a fast bowler is at his peak the day he turns 27 to 30, 31

 

[bumpuss]

varies from player to player. My player Len Short of Warwickshire, was hired from the youth academy, and i played in some One dayers at 5 or 6, he smacked crap out of all the bowlers, that he immediately selected in the International one day team for England, he scored a lot of runs for england at only 17! . And now 2027 or something, he captains England, is the most experienced ODI player for England so he is very consistent, average 35 for ODIs and 45 in Tests.

 

[UncleTheOne]

Pommie Mbwanga on my Zim game didn't start really firing until he was about 31/32 and for a few years now has been in the top 5 test bowlers in the world. Shame about his comical batting though.

 

[ash chaulk]

took my aussie team 6 years to go from super 8's to world cup winners used the same team for the 6 years pretty much

 

[NZTailender]

I grabbed Andy Flower after he was dropped from whatever team he was contracted to at age 40. He averaged 90 for me in FC and 70 in OD! Then retired

 

[sledger]

john crawley was excellent for me right up to the point he retired averaging at least 40 for the entire time, think he retired about 35ish.

 

[voltaire]

It really does depend on how you play them, I find. An opening batsman I drafted into the test team at 18 had a fantastic start, but his average went from 65 to about 55 from the age of 27 to about 32. Cue his renaissance, finishes at age 36 near 60 again.

However, my best bowler ever was consistent his entire career. I played him in tests for nearly twenty straight years and just about every season he picked up 100+ wickets, Finishing with 1900.

 

[bryce]

Optimum age would be 28-31. Once a player hits 32 he will generally start going downhill, however quality players may never stop performing no matter how old they are.

 

[harrowdrive]

I have found it varies, but most players start to fade in their 30s as you would expect.

 

[chooka_nick]

I agree with Harrow. My best players peak around 26/27, and slowly begin to fade once they pass thirty (with the exception of Brian Lara, who played til he was 42).

 

[NZTailender]

I agree with Harrow. My best players peak around 26/27, and slowly begin to fade once they pass thirty (with the exception of Brian Lara, who played til he was 42).

Michael lumb seems to get better every year. He's 34 in my game and has scored 1000+ FC runs every season, and this season he's got to 1000 faster than any time before...with more hundreds too.

 

[hindleyite]

I think the exact age is different for each individual player. Generally, I find that batsmen can still perform well into their 30's, though they generally start to deteriorate at age 35 and over. This doesn't apply to players already over 35 at the start of the game, however.

I had a wicket keeper who averaged 25 for most of his career, but once he hit 30 his performance improved a lot and his average shot to about 32.

With bowlers, again, I find experience helps a lot. Some bowlers will have brilliant seasons at age 33, but I think around 28 is the 'optimum' age. Check player wages to gauge how skilled a player is: they are generally in proportion with each other. When their wages start to go down, they are perhaps beginning their slump into middle age.

 

[Bluke]

I had a batsman called Paris who averaged about 37 by the time he turned 33. The next 4 years he avaergaed 45+ each season and 40+ in ODI, and ended up with a career average of over 40 when he retired at 37.

Som players seem to decline markedly after 31 though