Ron Draper, who was the oldest Test cricketer, died at the weekend in Gqeberha. He was 98.
Draper played two matches for South Africa in 1950, scoring 25 runs across three innings. However, he had a more successful first-class career, turning out 48 times for Eastern province and Griqualand West, scoring over 3,000 runs at an average of over 40.
He also became the first batter to score centuries of each innings of a Currie Cup game, achieving this feat for Griqualand West against Border in the 1952/53 season.
Draper became the oldest living Test cricketer after the death of another South African, John Watkins, in 2021, also at the age of 98.
The oldest living Test cricketer is now Australian Neil Harvey, who is 96. The oldest South African Test cricketer is Goofy Lawrence, who is 92.
[Image: https://www.sacricketmag.com/oldest-test-cricketer-dies-sa/]