Luke Jackson reflects on his Australian Over 40s experiences ahead of the inaugural World Cup

Ahead of the inaugural Over 40s World Cup, Walkerston great Luke Jackson reflects on the unexpected experiences that have come with wearing the baggy green so far.

Luke Jackson in action at the 2023 Over 40s Glocal Cup in Karachi. Picture: Supplied.

Entering your 40s is akin to a death sentence when it comes to realising dreams of representing your country at a cricket world cup.

Or at least it used to.

For the inaugural Over 40s World Cup, set to be staged in Cape Town in February, presents an opportunity for many cricketers to create a reality they thought had long passed.

One of those being Mackay’s very own Luke Jackson.

“It wasn’t even on the radar that I could play Over 40s, let alone play for Australia or even Queensland,” Jackson reflected.

Luke Jackson (left) preparing to bat in the green and gold at the Over 40s Global Cup in Karachi. Picture: Supplied.

“They’re two things I’ve been able to tick off my bucket list that I thought well and truly weren’t going to be achieved, I thought that boat had sailed.

“It’s not lost on any of us that while we’re not the Australian team, we’re certainly proud to go away and still play for our country.”

A life member and current head coach at Walkerston Cricket Club, the Jackson name is synonymous with Scrubby and Luke is one of the club’s greats, and he has been crowned the Mackay Cricket Men’s Player of the Year on an equal-record four occasions.

Great Walkerston CC siblings Clint and Luke Jackson reunited in 2018. The pair have six Mackay Cricket Player of the Year awards between them.

First playing when he was 10 years of age, Jackson, now 46, has never stopped and has devoted the best part of 30 of his cricketing years to Walkerston.

He also spent two season playing professionally in Ireland, and five having a crack at Premier Cricket down in Brisbane.

It was during those years in Brisbane where he would form the connections that led him to an Over 40s baggy green.

But Jackson’s first steps into Over 40s cricket took place in Gosford, at the inaugural national titles.

He would only describe his performance there as “okay”, but it was enough to earn selection into the Australian side that travelled to Pakistan for a Global Cup earlier this year.

The Walkerston CC nets are named after Luke Jackson’s father, Barry, who is also a life member at the club. Picture: Mackay Cricket Facebook

It was a memorable experience for Jackson, who was particularly struck by the security in Karachi.

“The level of security we got was on par with the level the Australian national team got,” Jackson said.

“We had 1000 Karachi Police looking after us, they would shut the streets down when we travel.

“We had armed guards, army rangers, and police escorts.”

The scale of the tournament was also difficult to fathom said Jackson, with Australia’s match against Pakistan - who fielded five former internationals including ex-captain Misbah Ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq, and Mohammad Sami - amassing 2.5 million views.

By contrast, the Australian team largely consisted of amateurs and only had one player that had played at first-class level. They still managed a third-place finish however, which Jackson believed was on par with what the team deserved.

The Australian Over 40s Global Cup side pictured in Karachi. Picture: Supplied.

“We were treated amazingly,” Jackson said.

“The amount of selfies we took, we had to tell people, ‘hey, we’re not the proper Australian team’,” Jackson said.

“They just love cricket, right? So they didn’t care.

“It was like being famous for three weeks, that’s the best I can put it, but then you come back to reality.”

Looking ahead to February’s World Cup in South Africa, Jackson is optimistic of what the Australians can achieve.

“We will be competitive,” he said.

“We’re going there to win it, but until you’re there you really don’t know.”

Originally published as Luke Jackson reflects on his Australian Over 40s experiences ahead of the inaugural World Cup