Rustom Cooper dies at the age of 100

Rustom Cooper, the former Indian cricketer, has died at the age of 100 years and 229 days. He was the oldest living first-class cricketer at the time of his death.

Born in Bombay on December 14 1922, Cooper turned 100 last December. He had played 22 first-class matches between 1941 and 1951, scoring 1205 runs at an average of 52.39. It was reported that he died in his sleep in his home in Mumbai on July 31, 2023.

One of the highlights of his career was the 1944-45 Ranji Trophy final, where Cooper scored 52 and 104 in Bombay's 374-runs victory against Holkar.

Apart from Bombay, Cooper also played first-class cricket for the Parsees and Middlesex in England.

"Rustom was the oldest living first-class cricketer and played for Middlesex for three seasons in a golden era for the Club," Middlesex said in a statement. "He made eight appearances for the Club, top scoring with 54 against Gloucestershire at Cheltenham in August 1950 … Cooper came to Middlesex's attention through Denis Compton, who spotted his talent whilst playing cricket against him whilst serving in the Army in India during the Second World War. At Compton's request, Russi moved to England, took a placement at the London School of Economics, whilst pursuing a career as a professional in the English game."