In a move perhaps fuelled by his own advancing age, iafrica.com's Rob Peters decided to give the 'old dogs' of cricket their due. He takes a look at the grizzled veterans of past campaigns, the men who have seen it all before, and picked the 11 most likely to shine at the ICC Champions Trophy starting this month.

As a rule we tend to seek out the youthful. Too often we overlook the wise old head, the guy who has been fighting in the trenches, putting in the hard yards, in favour of the flashier, newer model. We favour flash over virtue, but in cricket, the older is often the better version.

So, on that note, I decided to take a look at the old-timers ? qualification 30 or older ? and select the 11 players most likely to deliver the fireworks at the Champs Trophy over the next two weeks.

Sanath Jayasuriya (40):

The oldest of our list (possibly the oldest of most lists!), the evergreen Sri Lankan opener still has gas left in the tank and we expect him to explode in South Africa. Averaging a handy 32.82, with an impressive strike-rate of 96.87 in 2009, there is still plenty of bite left in this old dog.

Herschelle Gibbs (35):

Gibbs, despite his penchant for throwing his wicket away, is still one of the best in the business. Capable of single-handedly dismantling opposition bowling attacks, the veteran opener ? his Test career seemingly behind him ? is desperate to prove he still has what it takes, and will be looking to provide the home-ground fans with some fireworks.

Ricky Ponting (34):

The little Aussie skipper has bounced back from the Ashes defeat in the only way he knows how ? by scoring runs, and lots of them. Taking out his anguish over losing the urn on a desperate England bowling line-up in their post-Ashes ODI series, Ponting is quickly returning to his best ahead of the Champions Trophy. The rest of the world is watching, Punter...

Jacques Kallis (33):

The world's number one all-rounder ? try telling the ICC that ? Kallis is still an integral part of the Proteas line-up. Long criticised for a perceived inability to up the tempo, the veteran South African has revealed a more attacking approach in the shorter format this year. Averaging 46, with a strike-rate of 81.77, Kallis has notched up five half-centuries in his eight outings in 2009. And that's before he is even handed the ball...

Sachin Tendulkar (36):

Despite his advancing age, Tendulkar is still the lynchpin of the Indian team and the prize wicket for opposition bowlers. His glorious 138 against Sri Lanka in the Compaq Cup Final proved he is still top of his game and with a 2009 average just short of 60, as well as a strike-rate of 97.92, the little maestro is certain to score big in South Africa.

Paul Collingwood (33):

The personification of grit and grizzle, Collingwood lives to prove his critics wrong. The ultimate comeback kid, 'Colly' refuses to let the hacks get him down. The England middle-order batsman has a handy average of 37.12 this year and his ability to slow down the run-rate with ball in hand adds another arrow to his quiver.

Mark Boucher (31):

The grizzled SA 'keeper may have struggled to get runs in the Test arena recently, but he continues to provide quick runs down the order in the ODIs. This year has been no different with Boucher boasting a handy average of 44.66, and a strike-rate of 100.75. He is the 'closer' ? finisher ? in the SA team and behind the stumps he is still unrivalled in my opinion.

Daniel Vettori (30):

The youngest of our team, Vettori is proving every bit as good a leader as his predecessor Stephen Fleming. Unfortunately, as it was with Fleming, his team-mates aren't following his example. A canny tactician, restrictive spin bowler and more-than-useful lower-order batsman, Vettori ? who was recently appointed as a national selector ? is set to carry the Black Caps' hopes at the Champs Trophy.

Muttiah Muralitharan (37):

The unorthodox Sri Lankan superstar continues to bamboozle the world's best batsmen with a spectacular array of deliveries. Murali has more spin than a politician and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. His 21 scalps this year will soon be added to when the tournament kicks-off next week, but let's hope they don't come against the Proteas on Tuesday.

Brett Lee (32):

The Australian speedster has endured some torrid times with injury over the past 12 months, and he cut a dejected figure as he watched from the sidelines; powerless as the Ashes slipped away. But when he was finally unleashed in the ODIs he tore into the English like a man possessed. The veteran seamer has picked up 13 wickets in six ODIs this year ? including a 'five-for' ? and is seemingly back to his best, courtesy of an enforced break.

Makhaya Ntini (32):

Ntini's days as SA's premier strike-bowler are admittedly behind him, but he is still capable of doing the business as his figures show. He might not get as much time to show off his wares as the rest of the list (many believe he was a fortunate pick in the SA squad), but his popularity amongst local fans, and his penchant for delivering the goods at home, means we simply could not ignore him.