Many people aspire to play cricket for their respective countries, but only a few are fortunate enough to do so. Some are able to do it after years of hard work, while others are able to do it at a younger age. There have been several examples of players who rose to great heights at a young age. However, in this article, we will focus on the youngest cricketers to make their Test debut for Pakistan.
1. Hasan Raza(14 YEARS 237 DAYS)
At the top of the list is Hasan Raza, a right-handed middle-order batsman. He is the youngest player to debut in Test cricket for any country. He did so at the age of only 14. Some don’t even think of doing such a thing at such a nascent
age. The first Test match he played was against Zimbabwe in 1996 at Faislabad. Overall, he played seven Test matches for Pakistan and scored 235 runs at an average of 26.11.
2. Mushtaq Mohammad (15 YEARS 124 DAYS)
Next, we have Mushtaq Mohammad, an all-rounder who was born in Gujarat ,India. He holds the record of being the second youngest player in cricket history to play for his country. At the age of 15 years and 124 days, he made his Test debut against the West Indies at Lahore in 1959. In total, he played 57Test matches and scored 3643 runs at an average of 39.17; and also took 79 wickets with his leg-break bowling.
3. Aaqib Javed (16 YEARS 189 DAYS)
Aaqib Javed, a fiery pace bowler from the era of Waqar and Wasim, is next on the list. He was quick, skillful, and aggressive but had been overshadowed by the likes of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. In 1989, Aaqib made his Test debut against New Zealand in Wellington at Basin Reserve at the age of 16. He got to play 22 Test matches and took 54 wickets at an average of 34.70.
4. Aftab Baloch (16 YEARS 221 DAYS)
Aftab Baloch, a right-handed batter from Karachi, features next on the list. He got the opportunity to make his debut for Pakistan in Test cricket at the very young age of 16. His first match against New Zealand in Dhaka in 1969 was one of the two Test matches he got to play. Yes, you heard it right; he just got to represent his country twice on the international stage as he could not find a place in the solid Pakistani team.
5. Nasim Ul Ghani(16 YEARS 248 DAYS)
Next on the list is Nasim Ul Ghani, a slow left-arm orthodox bowler born in Delhi, India. At the age of 16 years and 248 days, Ghani made his Test debut against the West Indies at Bridgetown in 1958. Interestingly, he used to bowl medium pace as well and also has a Test match century to his name as a night-watchman. In 29 matches, he took 52 wickets, with the best bowling figures of 6 for 67.
6. Naseem Shah (16 YEARS 279 DAYS)
The only active cricketer on the list is Pakistani pace sensation, Naseem Shah . Naseem, who made his Test debut at the age of 16 against Australia in 2019, has already wowed the cricketing world with his blistering pace. He has 33
wickets in 13 Test matches so far, with the best bowling figure of 5 for 31.
7. Khalid Hasan (16 YEARS 352 DAYS)
Next, we have Khalid Hasan, who made his Test debut in 1954 against England at the age of 16. Unfortunately, Khalid’s first match was also his last match as he could not represent Pakistan in Test matches any longer. In the lone Test he played, he picked up two wickets and scored 17 runs with his bat.
8. Zahid Faizal (17 YEARS 5 DAYS)
Zahid Faizal, the right-handed middle-order batter from Sialkot, Punjab, is the next to feature on the list. He made his Test debut against the West Indies in Karachi in 1990 at the age of 17 and played his last Test match in 1995 against Sri Lanka. During his career, he got to play nine Test matches in which he scored just 288 runs. Thus, his decent performances could not find him a place in the solid Pakistani team.
9. Ata Ur Rehman (17 YEARS 68 DAYS)
Another fast bowler to register his name on the list is Ata Ur Rehman. At 17, he made his Test debut against England at Edg baston in 1992. He was a sharp bowler who used to bowl consistent lines and lengths and therefore proved handy in any situation. He played 13 Test matches for Pakistan and picked up31 wickets at an average of 34.54.
10. Imran Nazir (17 YEARS 78 DAYS)
Imran Nazir was one of Pakistan’s naturally talented players who could time the ball well and always put pressure on the bowler. In 1999, he made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Lahore when he was just 17. Nazir got to play eight
Test matches for Pakistan before playing his last one in 2002. He scored 427runs at an average of 32.78, with two hundred to his name. However, he continued to play for Pakistan till 2012 in the shorter formats due to his
attacking batting style.
