New Delhi. In cricket, very few players are able to make their international debut at the age of 20 or less, but there are some cricketers who not only started their international career at the age of 20 or less but also achieved great heights. The most prominent name in this is Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar, who made his Test debut at the age of 16 and ruled world cricket for 24 years with his playing skills.
There are some players who took over the reins of the country’s Test team at a very young age and won the first match of their captaincy leaving a mark of leadership skills. Two players have even been Player of the Match in their first Test as captain. It is a common belief that a person becomes ‘mature’ with age, but these young captains proved this belief wrong with their game as well as leadership skills.
Some are ‘wrong footed’, some are ‘slinga’ and some…bowlers with strange actions got success
There are a good number of Asian players in this list of players who captained Test cricket at a very young age. Let’s take a look at the 5 youngest captains of world cricket.
Rashid Khan: Shined in his very first match as captain
Afghanistan’s wrist spinner Rashid Khan made his international debut at the age of 17 and soon made his mark in world cricket with his playing skills. At the beginning of his career, Rashid was adept at throwing every kind of ball. Even famous batsmen used to get fooled by his googly. When Rashid started playing international cricket, Afghanistan did not have the status of a Test team. He established himself as the best player of both these formats by playing only ODIs and T20 matches. Afghanistan got Test status in June 2018. A little more than a year later, in September 2019, when Rashid captained the team in the only Test against Bangladesh, he was just 20 years and 350 days old. In his very first Test as captain, Rashid led Afghanistan to a 224-run victory.
He performed brilliantly with both bat and ball and was declared the Player of the Match. Rashid, who contributed 51 runs in Afghanistan’s first innings and 24 runs in the second innings, took 11 wickets in the match. After taking 5 wickets for 55 runs in the first innings, he took 6 wickets for 49 runs in the second innings and made his first Test as a captain memorable.
Uncle was the captain of the Indian team, nephew was born in India but played for Pakistan and also captained the team
Tatenda Taibu: She gained attention by becoming the youngest captain
In Zimbabwe cricket, which was in turmoil due to political reasons, Tatenda Taibu became the captain in May 2004 at the age of 20 years and 358 days and made headlines all over the world. Due to Heath Streak leaving the captaincy, the short-statured wicketkeeper batsman Taibu got this responsibility. However, there were some other reasons for Taibu getting the captaincy than his sports skills. In his first Test as captain, Taibu had to face an innings defeat against Sri Lanka. After scoring 40 runs in the first innings of the match, he could not even open his account in the second innings. The record of youngest captain in Tests remained in Taibu’s name till 2019, later Rashid Khan broke this record by taking over the captaincy of the Afghanistan team at the age of 20 years and 350 days. Taibu, who played 28 Tests for Zimbabwe, was the captain of Zimbabwe in 10 Tests and 29 ODIs.
When Sachin Tendulkar accepted brother Ajit’s challenge, then in his entire career…
‘Tiger’ Pataudi: Got captaincy at the age of 21 years and 77 days
Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi aka Tiger Pataudi’s father Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi has represented the England team in Tests apart from India. Iftikhar’s son Mansoor played 46 Tests for India and scored 2793 runs at an average of 34.93 which included six centuries. He got the nickname ‘Tiger’ for his dashing style and agile fielding. Tiger Pataudi, popular among fellow players, was given the captaincy of the Indian team in the series against West Indies in 1962 at the age of 21 years and 77 days. However, the team had to face an innings defeat in this match. ‘Tiger’ was counted among the most efficient captains. However, the Indian team of his era was not very strong, so his success rate was not very good. He captained India in 40 tests, out of which the team won 9. Another interesting fact about Pataudi was that in the early days of cricket, he lost the vision of one eye in an accident. In such a situation, there was a danger of his cricket career ending, but due to his strong will, he not only returned to the field but also scored centuries.
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Waqar Younus: Became captain at the age of 22 years and 15 days, led the team to victory
Sachin Tendulkar and Waqar Younis, two of the greatest players of world cricket, made their international cricket debut in the same series in 1989. Both of them achieved great fame in world cricket. As an excellent fast bowler, Waqar (Waqar Younis) took the wickets of legendary batsmen. His yorker would not only get the batsman out, but would also injure his paw many times. Waqar has the credit of becoming the youngest captain of Pakistan and the fourth youngest captain in the world. He took charge of the team against Zimbabwe in December 1993 at the age of 22 years and 15 days and became the hero of the team’s victory. In this test match held in Karachi, Waqar took 7 wickets for 91 runs in the first innings and 6 wickets for 44 runs in the second innings and gave the gift of victory to Pakistan in his very first test as captain. Waqar’s fast bowling pair with Wasim Akram achieved a lot of success in world cricket.
Started with boxing-athletics, then became a fast bowler, played for Team India
Graeme Smith: Captained at the age of 22 years 82 days, established the team
Graeme Smith has been not only a great batsman but also the youngest captain of South Africa. He was 22 years and 82 days old when he was given the captaincy of the team in April 2003 to restore the reputation of South African cricket after the much talked about Hansie Cronje scandal related to spot fixing and Shaun Pollock’s average performance as captain. He led the team to victory in the very first Test against Bangladesh under his captaincy. Smith, who has scored more than 17 thousand runs in international cricket, scored 9265 runs with the help of 27 centuries in Tests. He played a long innings as a captain along with being a player in Test cricket. Smith, a great left-handed batsman, captained 109 Tests, including 108 as South Africa’s captain and one as the captain of the ICC team. Under his captaincy, the South African team won 53 tests.
Graeme Smith, rashid khan, Test cricket, Waqar Younis
FIRST PUBLISHED : July 13, 2024, 11:46 IST