It was an ultimately futile wicket in a forlorn effort to win the First Test in Antigua, but it was also a moment of history. When Jimmy Anderson had Dinesh Ramdin caught behind on this day in 2015, it was the England pace man's 384th Test wicket. That was enough to take him past Sir Ian Botham as the most prolific English Test bowler of all time.
That he continues to bound in with regularity at the age of 41 could surely not have been foreseen back then. You certainly wouldn't have seen much money being laid on Anderson reaching his current tally of 700 career wickets, despite his obvious brilliance.
To reach the top of the mountain on that day in the West Indies was one thing. To add another 316 wickets over the subsequent nine years has been quite another.
And he isn’t done yet. While long-time partner-in-crime Stuart Broad retired from cricket last summer following the Ashes series draw with Australia, Anderson shows no sign of letting up. He is one of a small number of legends to keep on racking up great sporting achievements long after many others have given up.
Phil Mickelson - Oldest major champion at 50
Nine years older than Anderson is today, Mickelson stood at the top of golf as he became the older major champion in history at the age of 50. The American stunned the rest of the field when he won the PGA Championship in 2021, as he finished two shots clear of Louis Oosthuizen and Brooks Koepka.
To put that record in perspective, the oldest winner of the Masters, something Mickelson has won on three occasions, remains Jack Nicklaus at the age of 46. Mickelson won his final Masters at 40 and won the Open Championship at 43 - but winning at 50 is something truly special.
Sir Stanley Matthews - Oldest Ballon d'Or winner at 41
Cristiano Ronaldo may have stolen the show in terms of longevity in the modern era, but the 39-year-old now looks to have written off the rest of his career with a financially lucrative move to Saudi Arabia. The real king of football in his 40s was Sir Stanley Matthews, who won the award for the first and only time at the ridiculous age of 41.
He won the award in 1956, in the inaugural season of the Ballon d’Or, edging out Alfredo di Stefano to the prize while playing for Blackpool. He’d go on to play until he was 50 and this Ballon d’Or record looks unlikely to ever be beaten. The closest anybody has come so far is Lionel Messi, who lifted the trophy last year at 36. Unless the Argentine has a blistering 2028/29 season, nobody is coming close anytime soon.
Ronnie O’Sullivan - Oldest snooker world champion at 46
He may act like he hates the sport half the time, but Ronnie O’Sullivan continues to stay at the top of snooker. Just two years ago, at the age of 46 years and 148 days, he became the oldest ever world snooker champion when he picked up his seventh title at the Crucible.
He might not be done quite yet though. He is still level with Stephen Hendry’s record of seven triumphs in the modern era, and needs one more to pinch that record from the 55-year-old Scot. Even the Rocket is unlikely to go close to Joe Davis’ all-time record however. He won the first 15 events before retiring in 1946 - undefeated at the event!
Dick Saunders - Oldest Grand National winning jockey at 48
In 1982, Dick Saunders created a piece of history that still stands to this day as he became the oldest ever winner of the Grand National at the age of 48. He was an amateur and steered favourite Grittar to victory at Aintree, while carrying around £30m of punters’ money!
Saunders managed to steer clear of one of the worst pile-ups in memory to win the race. Ten horses were brought down at the first fence and only eight runners completed the course, with Saunders on the 7/1 favourite eventually winning by 15 lengths. He also became the first member of the Jockey club to ride the winner in the race.
The oldest horse, the real stars of the show, to win the race, remains 15-year-old Peter Simple, who passed the post first back in 1853. That record is likely to stand for a very long time.
