5 Youngest Cricketers to Make Their Test Debut

Test Cricket holds the highest value among all other formats in the game. It’s fondly known as the toughest format in cricket. Not a lot of players make a successful career in Test cricket. In fact, not a lot of players get the opportunity to play Test Cricket, let alone make a successful career.

Test Cricket tests a player on all the levels. For a cricketer to succeed in the longest format of the game, he ought to have the immaculate skill-set, temperament, and hunger to play for a longer period of time. Over the years, we have seen some of the highly talented cricketers representing the nation in Test cricket.

Among all the cricketers, there are some special ones who show their class very early in their careers. They make a mark at a very young age and also get the opportunity to represent their country in Test Cricket very early on in their careers. On that note, we take a look at 5 youngest cricketers to make their Test debut.

5 Youngest Cricketers to Make Their Test Cricket Debut:

5. Sachin Tendulkar: 16 years and 205 days

Legendary cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar sits fifth on the list. He made his Test debut at the young age of 16 years and 205 days. The Indian cricketer went on to become arguably the greatest cricketer on the planet. He made tons of runs and wrote his name in history books on numerous occasions. Sachin Tendulkar played his first Test against Pakistan in Karachi, November 1989.

Sachin Tendulkar went to become the most capped Test player. In his illustrious Test career, he played as many as 200 Tests, scoring 15,921 runs. He is currently the highest run-scorer in Tests and also has the most number of centuries (51) in the longest format.

4. Aaqib Javed: 16 years and 189 days

Former Pakistan player, Aaqib Javed made his debut at just 16 years and 189 days. He played his first Test against New Zealand on 10^th February 1989. Notably, he played his first first-class match at the age of just 12 years. He went on to represent Pakistan in both formats of the game for a long period of time. He was a fast bowler who had the ability to swing the ball both ways.

Aqib Javed went on to play 22 Test matches for his country and picked 54 wickets at an average of 34.7. Though, he rather enjoyed a great career in ODIs, in which he managed to play 163 matches, picking 182 wickets at an average of 31.4. Unfortunately, his career rather ended prematurely at the age of 26.

3. Mohammad Sharif: 15 years and 128 months

Bangladesh’s former cricketer, Mohammad Sharif is the third youngest cricketer to make his debut in Tests. Mohammad Sharif had mastery in reverse swing and he earned his maiden Test call-up because of that. He played his first Test against Pakistan in 2002 at the young age of just 15 years and 128 months.

He took four wickets in that match and impressed one and all with his fast bowling exploits. Frequent injuries afterwards didn’t allow him to make a successful Test career. Mohammad Sharif played 10 matches in his Test cricket career, picking 14 wickets with the best bowling figures of 4 for 89. He played his last Test match against Sri Lanka in 2007.

2. Mushtaq Mohammad: 15 years and 124 days

Former Pakistan player, Mushtaq Mohammad was born in Gujarat before the partition of India. At just 15 years and 124 days, he made his Test debut for Pakistan. Mushtaq Mohammad played his first Test against West Indies in March 1959 in Lahore.

He also became the youngest Test centurion in 1961. At just 17 years and 78 days, he played an outstanding 101-run knock against India in Delhi. It was a record that stood for as many as 40 years. Mushtaq Mohammad is counted amongst the most successful all-rounders in the history of Pakistan.

He captained Pakistan Team in 19 Tests. In his illustrious Test cricket career, he played 57 Tests and scored 3643 runs at an average of close to 40.

1. Hasan Raza: 14 years and 227 days

Hasan Raza is a former Pakistan player who made his Test debut at age of 14 years and 227 days. He holds the record for being the youngest player to make his debut in Test cricket. He played his first Test against Zimbabwe on 24^th October 1996o in Faisalabad.

Although, he struggled to find his feet at the biggest stage and was soon dropped from the Test team. He made a comeback during the home series against Australia at Sharjah.

His last Test came against England at home in 2005. In his Test career, Hasan Raza played 7 Tests and scored 235 runs at an average of 26.11.