Old soldier and successful batsman? (9)

I believe the answer is:

centurion

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'old soldier' is the definition.
'centurion' can be an answer for 'soldier' (I have seen 'roman soldier' mean 'centurion' so perhaps 'soldier' could also mean 'centurion'). I'm not certain of the 'old' bit.

I can't explain the remainder of the clue.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for centurion that I've seen before include "Leading Roman" , "Commander in ancient Rome" , "Roman leader of 100 soldiers" , "Nocturne I played for old Roman army officer" , "roman soldier" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.