Who are the youngest players to make international debut in Test, ODI, & T20I?

Several players made their international debut at a very young age and grabbed the headlines.

Cricket is a challenging sport that requires players to excel in different areas. A few decades ago, only a handful of nations used to play cricket at the international level.

However, with the popularity of franchise T20 leagues over the last 10 years, cricket has become one of the most-watched and entertaining sports in the world. It has also become a part of the Olympics due to its massive popularity.

As a result, many young players are emerging from the length and breadth of different countries, some of them also making their debut at a very young age.

Although the International Cricket Council (ICC) now has a rule in place that only players above 15 years can break into a national team, many players have made their T20I debut even at the age of 14 years when this protocol was not in place.

These players announced themselves on the biggest stage while still in their teenage years, showcasing exceptional talent and maturity beyond their age.

Below, let us take a glance at the list of the youngest players to make their international debut in tests, ODIs, and T20Is.

Youngest players to make their international debut across all three formats

Test – Hasan Raza (Pakistan)

Former Pakistan player Hasan Raza owns the record for being the youngest ever to play in Test cricket. The right-handed batsman made his test debut for Pakistan in October 1996 in a clash against Zimbabwe.

At the time of the match, he was just 14 years and 227 days old. The encounter, which took place at Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, was the 2nd test of a two-match series. Raza had a long international career from 1996 to 1999; however, he only featured in seven tests and 16 ODIs.

ODI – Hasan Raza (Pakistan)

Hasan Raza also holds the record for being the youngest player to make his debut in One-Day Internationals. After making his test debut against Zimbabwe in 1996, he also featured in the ODI series in the same campaign.

He suffered a run-out in the PAK vs ZIM 1st ODI, which took place on October 30, 1996, at Bugti Stadium in Quetta. Making his ODI debut at the age of 14 years and 233 days, he registered his name in the record books in the 50-over format.

T20I – Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (India)

Since many associate nations have started playing T20Is regularly in the last few years, plenty of young cricketers have made their debut in the shortest format. Overall, Marian Gherasim of Romania holds the record for being the youngest ever cricketer to play in T20Is.

However, if we look at full-member nations, India’s Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is the youngest cricketer to make his T20I debut in international cricket. The left-handed batsman made his national debut in the 2nd T20I between England and India on July 4 at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester.

Playing his debut game at the age of 15 years and 99 days, Sooryavanshi scripted history by becoming the youngest batsman to play for India by breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record (16 years and 205 days).

Moreover, he is the youngest batter to ever play a T20 game in international cricket. Sooryavanshi failed to make a mark in the match, getting out for 14 runs off 10 balls, hitting two sixes.

Ahead of Sooryavanshi, Ireland’s Joshua Little was the youngest player to make his T20I debut at the age of 16 years and 309 days. His debut game was a clash against Hong Kong on 5 September, 2016, in the 1st T20I.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.