International cricket has no age limit and we have often seen youngsters making their debut at a very early age. We have always seen players who make their debut in international cricket after 30 but there are many players who have made their debut at a surprisingly young age.
Recently, Rehan Ahmed became the youngest player to represent England in international cricket and he showed why talent is more important than the age of the player. Let’s take a look at the top three youngest debutants in International cricket
1. Hasan Raza (14 years and 227 days)
Hasan Raza is the youngest Test player in cricket history, however, there has been much debate over his actual age. He officially made his Test debut for Pakistan against Zimbabwe in Faisalabad on October 24, 1996, at the age of just 14 years and 227 days.
In his first Test, Raza batted at No. 5 and reached 27 before being struck out by Bryan Strang. Although having apparent skill, he only appeared in seven Tests over the course of his career, the last of which was against England in Lahore in 2005. He finished his Test career with 235 runs at a below-par average of 26.11, including two fifties.
2. Sachin Tendulkar (16 years and 205 days)
The title of becoming India’s youngest Test cricketer still belongs to the renowned Sachin Tendulkar. On November 15, 1989, in Karachi, at the age of just 16 years and 205 days, he made his international debut against Pakistan.
The Master Blaster finished his career as one of the finest players to have ever played the game after breaking the majority of batting records in Tests and ODIs. He played 200 Tests exactly, scoring 15921 runs at a magnificent average of 53.78 in those innings. He played in 463 ODIs and accumulated 18426 points.
3. Derek Sealy (17 years, 122 days)
At 17 years and 122 days old, former West Indies hitter Derek Sealy made his Test debut against England in Bridgetown on January 11, 1930. He was the sport’s youngest-ever player at the time.
He made a strong impression in his first Test innings at No. 5 bat, scoring 58, before getting out for 15 in the second. Sealy played for West Indies in just 11 Tests and finished with 478 runs at a mediocre average of 28.11. His highest score, 92, came in a January 1935 match against England in Port of Spain.