In November 2014, aged 43 years and 162 days, Khurram Khan became the oldest player to score an ODI hundred, his unbeaten 132 helping his team to a six-wicket victory over Afghanistan in Dubai and pushing him ahead of Sanath Jayasuriya on the senior centurions list. That knock also helped to push his ODI batting average, somewhat flatteringly, above 50 - although his healthy List A record suggests a batsman of significant class.

Born in Pakistan, Khurram was something of a late starter as a cricketer: he'd never even played with a hard ball until he went to university. Two of his brothers, Atiq and Zeeshan, were first-class cricketers in Pakistan and when Khurram moved to UAE in 1999 to work for Emirates Airlines as a flight purser he quickly established a reputation in UAE club cricket, playing his first matches for UAE in the 2001 ICC Trophy in Canada. A stylish character both on and off the field, he was a natural leader and was appointed captain of the UAE side the following year. He was still captain when UAE secured their second World Cup berth at the Qualifiers in New Zealand in early 2014, leading from the front as UAE's top scorer in the tournament. He was replaced by Mohammad Tauqir as captain for the World Cup, but as vice-captain and senior batsman, he remained a central figure in UAE's campaign.
Liam Brickhill