Childs was England's oldest debutant for forty one years when he was selected to play against the West Indies at Old Trafford in 1988. He took one wicket for 91 runs, dismissing Carl Hooper lbw and scored two runs without being out in either innings, as England fell to an innings defeat. He played one further Test in that series, at The Oval, taking the wickets of Malcolm Marshall and Gordon Greenidge and being left not out without scoring in both innings, as the West Indies won by 8 wickets.