[WATCH] 83-year-old wicketkeeper plays with oxygen cylinder on back, video goes viral

[WATCH] 83-year-old wicketkeeper plays with oxygen cylinder on back, video goes viral. (Photo Source: TheBarmyArmy/X)

Alex Steele caught the attention of cricket connoisseurs by keeping the wickets for his side in a local match. The former Scottish FC cricketer was able to son gloves with the help of an Oxygen Cylinder on his back. England’s Barmy Army took to X and posted the old video, which has gone viral on social media.

In the video, Steele, a former professional wicketkeeper himself, stood up to the wickets against the medium pacers at the age of 83. His reflexes and movement behind the stumps were brilliant, to say the least. Steele recognized that the ball was going down the leg side and moved quickly towards his left.

Steele caught the ball well and handed it back to the bowler. His determination was lauded by the fans who agreed with the saying ‘Age is just a number’. The passion of the Scottish cricketer was inspiring and went well with the saying ‘Where there is a will, there is a way’. The video is from 2023, but has now resurfaced online, and has been doing the rounds on social media once again.

Watch the viral video here

Why Alex Steele wore an Oxygen Cylinder while keeping the wickets?

However, many wondered why Steele used an oxygen cylinder on his back while keeping the wickets for his side. Unfortunately, the veteran is suffering from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a terminal respiratory disease since 2020, as per India TV. Despite the difficulty at his age, Steele chose to follow his passion and donned the gloves at an elderly age, displaying his unwavering passion.

Steele played his first domestic match in 1967. His professional career spanned for about 13 years till 1980, which had a decent number of caps. Steele played 14 matches and scored 621 runs at an average of 24.84 including two fifty-plus scores. His best individual score stands at 97.

Steele was good behind the stumps as well, as he claimed 11 catches and inflicted a couple of stumpings. Fans appreciated the hard work Steele put to enable himself to keep the wickets despite having a disease that would’ve stopped others from playing at his age.

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