Playing cricket for their respected country is a dream for every young player. They do their best to reach the stage where the selectors give them a chance to play for their team. Many cricketers get the opportunity to play in domestic cricket and leagues organized by the cricket association, but very few get to play in the ODIs and T20 series. Players who get to debut in any of these formats can show their skills and prove their worth.Below is the list of the ten youngest ODI debutants in cricket history.
1. Hasan Raza
Hasan Raza was born on March 11, 1982. He is a former Pakistani cricketer who played for the Pakistan national cricket team between 1996 and 2005. He made his debut against Zimbabwe in Quetta. He was praised for his debut performance, as few doubted his age at the time of his debut. He became the youngest debutant in ODIs ever. Debuting for your country at the age of just 14 is a remarkable talent. Hasan Raza played 16 ODI matches for his country, scoring 242 runs at an average of 18.61.
2. Mohammad Sharif
Mohammad Sharif was born on December 12, 1985. He is a Bangladeshi cricketer who played for his country between 2001 and 2007. Sharif is the second-youngest ODI debutant in cricket history. When Sharif was 15, he made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe on April 7, 2001, in Harare. Sharif played nine ODI matches, scoring 53 runs. He is a right-arm pacer and has taken ten wickets in his ODI career.
3. Gurdeep Singh
Gurdeep Singh was born on January 19, 1998. He is a Kenyan cricketer. He is an Indian-origin player from Kenya. He has played in one ODI match for his country, where he was the debutant. He played in the final game of the 2011-13 ICC World Cricket League Championship, scoring one run against Afghanistan, on October 4, 2013. When he was 15, he became the third-youngest player to debut in ODI history.
4. Nitish Roenik Kumar
Roenik was born on May 21, 1994. He is a Canadian cricketer who made his debut when he was 15. He became one of the youngest ODI debutants in cricket history. He debuted against Afghanistan in Sharjah on February 18, 2010. He was a child genius and, hence, was selected by the selectors. His team won that match, which became a memorable day for the young debutant, Roenik. He has played 16 ODI matches and scored 217 runs until now.
5. Rohit Paudel
Paudel was born on September 2, 2002. He is a Nepali cricketer who made his ODI debut when he was 15 and became the fifth to do so. He made his debut against the Netherlands on August 3, 2018, and won the match. It still holds a very special place in his heart. With his fantastic performance on the field, he was appointed team captain in 2022. He is Nepal's all-time highest run-scorer in the ODI format and the first Nepali player to score 1000 runs in ODI cricket.
6. Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar was born on April 24, 1973. He is a former cricketer and a member of the Indian cricket team. Tendulkar was the youngest player to debut for India in ODI when he was only 16. His presence has been remarkable since the beginning. He is known as one of the greatest players in cricket history. He made his ODI debut against Pakistan on December 18, 1989. He has received many awards, like the Arjuna Award, the Khel Ratna Award, the Padma Shri, and the Padma Vibhushan. He has played 463 ODI matches, scoring 18,426 runs in his career.
7. Shahid Afridi
Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi was born on March 1, 1977. He is a former cricketer and the captain of the Pakistan cricket team. Afridi made his ODI debut in 1996 against Kenya when he was only 16. He was the most successful captain and cricketer of Pakistan. Afridi is praised for his performances worldwide. He has played 398 ODI matches, scoring 8,064 runs in his career.
8. Mohammed Ashraful
Mohammed Ashraful was born on July 7, 1984. He is a Bangladeshi who represented Bangladesh's cricket team. He has scored the fastest fifty in his ODI, T20, and Test careers. He made his debut against Zimbabwe on April 11, 2001. He became one of the youngest ODI debutants. He has played 177 ODI matches, scoring a total of 3,468 runs. The Bangladesh cricket team banned him from playing in 2014 after he was found guilty of match-fixing.
9. Talha Jubair
Talha Jubair, born on December 10, 1985, is a Bangladeshi cricketer. He made his debut against New Zealand on September 23, 2002. He had a concise ODI career. He has played six ODIs, scoring five runs. Jubair became a world record holder as he was the only batsman to come in at 11 and record a top score for his team in a test match.
10. Nadeem Ahmed
Nadeem Ahmed was born on September 28, 1987. He is a Pakistani-born Hong Kong cricketer. Ahmed made his ODI debut against Pakistan on July 18, 2004. He joined the club of the youngest ODI debutants in 2004. He is a slow left-arm orthodox bowler who took zero wickets in his debut match and scored only one run. He has played only 25 ODIs, scoring 67 runs. He took 38 wickets at a bowling average of 24.52. In 2018, he was banned for life from all forms of cricket on the charge of match-fixing.
