Some Test cricketing nations are more willing than others to throw young talent into the deep end, believing that if you're good enough, you're old enough. The first ten players on the list of the youngest-ever Test debutants are of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India. As a result, it's no surprise that Pakistan has four of the top five youngest players in Test cricket history. Though each of these five had the incredible natural skill to get a Test call-up at such an early age, a lengthy and successful career at the highest level was not guaranteed.
1. Hasan Raza
Raza made his Test debut against Zimbabwe when he was 14 in 1996, but his Test career never really took off. He played his eighth and final Test against England in 2005, despite consistently amassing runs throughout his first-class career.
2. Mushtaq Mohammed
Mushtaq Mohammed, one of the five brothers to play Test cricket for Pakistan, went on to play 57 Tests for his country. He finished his first-class career with a stunning total of 31,091 runs and 936 wickets. Mushtaq was one of the five Mohammad brothers, known as Pakistan cricket's original family, and was born in Junagadh, Gujarat, in undivided India. Mushtaq, one among the first to use the Kohli-like bat twirling, chose county cricket with Northamptonshire over Pakistan duties from 1963 to 1967 before returning to the national team.
3. Mohammad Sharif
Sharif broke into the Bangladesh side in 2001, and is frequently credited for making his Test debut at the age of 17 rather than 15. As a rapid swing bowler, he battled to keep his spot in the team and he made his final international appearance six years after his debut.
4. Aaqib Javed
If Aaqib Javed made his Test debut at the age of 16, he made his first-class debut at the age of 12. In any case, Javed has had a tremendous career, taking over 200 international wickets and helping Pakistan win the 1992 World Cup.
5. SR Tendulkar
One of the most successful batsmen in cricket history, Tendulkar went on to score 100 international centuries after making his debut against Pakistan in 1989. No other player has amassed more than 71 wickets. whilst having a batting record like that. Sachin Tendulkar made his international cricket debut when he was 16, the same age at which cricketers compete for the U-19 World Cup today.
6. Aftab Baloch
After his initial appearance against England in 1969, Baloch only played one more Test. He is one of the few men to achieve a first-class quadruple century. He eventually struggled to break into a formidable Pakistan squad in the 1970s and 1980s.
7. Talha Jubair
Jubair was another young cricketer who struggled to cement a long-term status in the Bangladesh team after a brilliant start to his Test debut, dismissing Marvan Atapattu and Mahela Jayawardene in his maiden spell in the format. He played his final test match when he was 18.
8. Nasim- Ul- Ghani
Ghani was the youngest Test cricketer when he made his debut. And it was quite a debut. He went on to play for his country 28 more times, including a century against England in 1962 that earned him a place in the Lord's honour board.
9. Naseem Shah
A true quick bowler with a formidable first-class record, albeit from a limited sample size, who enters his debut Test match with a formidable first-class record. Much is expected of young Shah, who has 27 first-class wickets at an aggregate of 16.66 as Pakistan seeks their first-ever Test series victory in Australia.
10. Enamul Haque Jnr
Haque, who has been in and out of the Bangladesh squad for a decade, has struggled to translate his outstanding first-class record into consistent success in the Test arena, with 44 wickets at an average of 40.61 in 15 Tests.
