Older Australian cricketers compete against British in friendly

Cricket is known for higher scores than other sports, but one statistic stands out among others from a recent match: the combined age of the older persons competing was more than 1,300 years.


Maintaining the belief that active living is possible even as they age, the Australian over 60s team visited North Yorkshire to play a friendly match against a UK team in preparation for a series of Test matches against the England team later this year, reported the Northern Echo.


"They're mainly cricketers who have played for many years and don't want to retire," John Hammer, Australia Over 60 Cricket Association coordinator, told the newspaper.

"The chap running between the wickets is only ambling, but so is the fielder chasing the ball."


While the exercise of playing the game may help the men maintain their hand-eye coordination, the teamwork and communication could also be helping them retain their motor skills, according to research from Rush University.


There, scientists found that social interaction helped to preserve the physical abilities of older persons when they engaged in more activities.


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