Stats: Youngest players to take a 5-wicket haul in Test cricket

Naseem Shah had a mixed start to his Test career as he found himself in the list of youngest players to make debut during Australia tour. The youngster couldn’t make an impact in debut game where he got the wicket of opener David Warner but on a no-ball. He eventually dismissed Warner in that innings but was dropped from the subsequent Test. Naseem returned to the playing XI in the Rawalpindi Test against Sri Lanka which was the first Test hosted by Pakistan in nearly a decade.

The 16-year-old took two wickets in his first home Test but conceded 71 runs in only 16 overs in the first innings of Karachi Test. However, Naseem bounced back strongly with his maiden 5-wicket haul in Test cricket in the 2nd essay. He took two wickets on the final day morning to wrap-up the game. In the 12.5 overs, Shah took 5/31 to seal first home Test win for Pakistan since 2006. Naseem Shah was only 16 years and 307 days at the start of Test match; the 2nd youngest at the time of maiden 5-wicket haul.

Left-arm spinner Nasim-ul-Ghani was 16 years and 303 days at the time of his maiden Test 5-fer; four days younger than Naseem at the start of Karachi Test. Nasim-ul-Ghani, a former Pakistan player, was a left-arm spinner. He took 5/116 in the Georgetown Test match against West Indies way back in 1958. With his 5/31 on Monday, Naseem became the youngest fast bowler to claim a 5-wicket haul. In this process, he broke the record created by Mohammad Amir in 2009.

The left-arm pacer had figures of 5/79 during the 2009 Melbourne Test against Australia at the age of 17 years and 257 days. The trio of Ghani, Shah and Amir occupy the first three spots in the list of youngest players with 5-fers in Test cricket. Bangladesh’s Nayeem Hasan stands 4th as he was 17 years and 355 days old when he took 5/61 against West Indies last year in the first innings. The off-spinner became the youngest player in Test history to pick up a 5-wicket haul on debut breaking the record of Pat Cummins.

Youngest players to take a 5-wicket haul in Test cricket:

(Note: Ages as at the start of the match)

(Stats as on December 23, 2019)