Top 10 Youngest players to make ODI debut

Top 10 Youngest players to make ODI debut: Playing at the international level is not an easy task and making the cut to the national team is even harder. While some players toil hard in the domestic circuit and perform heavily and thereby make it to the national team. Here we talk about the few individuals who have actually made it to the topmost level at a very young age. Making an early debut is quite fruitful as it promises a long career and ensures ample chances to the player at a tender age. Some make the most out of the opportunity, while others fade away with time. Here are the Top 10 Youngest players to make ODI debut: 10. Mohammad Ashraful (Bangladesh) – 16 Years 278 Days: Mohammed Ashraful. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Bangladeshi middle-order batsman, Mohammad Ashraful, made news when he made his ODI debut at a young age of 16 years. He made his debut during the Bangladesh’s tour to Zimbabwe in 2011. It was the last ODI of the 3-match series which Zimbabwe won 3-0. On his debut, Ashraful could score just 9 coming in at number 3. Bangladesh, who were chasing 309 for the win could manage only 272 and lost by 36 runs. Ashraful featured in 177 ODIs for Bangladesh. Also Read – Top 10 Highest individual scores on ODI debut 9. Waqas Khan (Hong Kong) -16 Years 253 Days: Waqas Khan. (Photo Source: HKCA) Born in 1999, Waqas Khan, the right-handed batsman from Hong Kong, became the youngest person to play in a T20I match at the age of 15 years and 259 days. Recently on November 18, 2015, playing against the UAE, he made his ODI debut at the age of 16 years. He is the 9th youngest player to play an ODI. However, the match remains his only ODI till date. He scored 15 off 37 balls in the game that Hong Kong won by 136 runs. 8. Sachin Tendulkar (India) – 16 Years 238 Days: Sachin Tendulkar. (Photo Source: Getty Images) The Indian batting legend, who is regarded as the best batsman of his era, Sachin Tendulkar, made his debut in 1989 against Pakistan at Gujranwala and became the 2nd youngest cricketer to make an ODI debut then. He started his career with a duck but later on went on to cover up for it in the grandest manner. Sachin represented India in 463 ODIs amassing 18,426 runs. He has the record of featuring in most number of ODIs and has scored the most number of ODI centuries with 49 ODI hundreds to his name. He was also the first man to score an ODI double ton. 7. Ramveer Rai (UAE) – 16 Years 229 Days: Ramveer Rai. (Photo Source: United Arab Emirates Cricket Board) Ramveer Rai, the opening batsman from UAE, made his debut during the Group B match of Asia Cup 2004 against Sri Lanka. It remains to be the only ODI that he ever played. Coming in to bat, chasing 240 set by Sri Lanka in their 50 overs, Rai played an excruciatingly slow innings of 39 of 124 balls. He was the 8th man to be dismissed and was cleaned up by Upul Chandana. UAE bundled out for 123 and Rai was the top-scorer. 6. Shahid Afridi (Pakistan) – 16 Years 215 Days: Shahid Afridi. (© Getty Images) The boom-boom all-rounder from Pakistan, who has the record of taking most wickets in T20I cricket, made his ODI debut at the age of 16. Afridi was picked into the ODI team during the four-nation Sameer Cup 1996–97 as a leg spinner replacing the injured Mushtaq Ahmed. He did not get a chance to bat and couldn’t pick any wicket either. It was during his second match, and his first international innings, when he was promoted to the number 3 spot, that he scored the fastest ODI century at that time. He brought up his century in just 37 balls and announced his arrival in grand style. He also became the youngest player to score an ODI century. Since then, he has represented Pakistan in 398 ODIs and has scored over 8000 runs and picked up 395 wickets. 5. Yodhin Punja (UAE) – 16 Years 206 Days: The 16-year-old UAE bowler recently made his ODI debut against Hong Kong at Dubai on November 16, 2015. In a match that UAE lost by 89 runs, Punja bowled 6 overs and went for 49 at an economy rate of 8.16. He could not pick any wicket either. He got an opportunity to bat as well and scored 1 run. The match remains to be the only ODI that he has featured in. 4. Aaqib Javed (Pakistan) – 16 Years 127 Days: Aaqib Javed. (Photo Source: AFP) The former Pakistan pace bowler who later went on to coach the Pakistan U19 team to a U-19 World Cup win, Aaqib Javed, made his debut at the age of 16 in 1988 and became the youngest player to play ODI cricket then. He featured in 22 Tests and 163 ODIs. He took 54 wickets in his 39 ODIs against India and seemed to love the arch-rivals. Four of his six ODI Man of the Match awards were against India and he also picked up a hat-trick against India at the age of 19 in 1991. He remains the youngest player to have taken a ODI hat-trick. 3. Nitish Kumar (Canada) – 15 Years 273 Days: Nitish Kumar. (© WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images) The Canadian opening batsman made his debut against Aghanistan in 2010 at the bare age of 15. Since then he has represented Canada in 16 matches and scored 217 runs with a highest score of 38. In 2011, when he was a part of the Canada team in the World Cup, with that he also became the youngest player to feature in a World Cup. 2. Gurdeep Singh (Kenya) – 15 Years 258 Days: Gurdeep Singh. (Photo Source: ICC) At Sharjah in 2013, when Kenya played Afghanistan, Gurdeep Singh played his only ODI at the age of 15 years and became the second youngest cricketer to play an ODI match. Opening the innings, he scored just one run in the 23 balls that he faced before being dismissed by the Afghanistan all-rounder, Mohammad Nabi. Kenya were bundled out for 93, which the Afghans chased with ease and won by 7 wickets. 1. Hasan Raza (Pakistan) – 14 Years 233 Days: Hasan Raza. (Photo Source: Pakistan Cricket Board) At the age of 14, when most students are busy playing school cricket, Pakistan’s Hasan Raza made his debut against Zimbabwe in 1996. A lot of investigations took place over his age at that time which sparked a few controversies. But he still goes down as the youngest player to make an ODI debut. But he was soon dropped and since then he could play just 16 ODIs for Pakistan and scored 242 runs. After giving up his hopes of returning to international cricket, Raza joined the Indian Cricket League and scored heavily in his debut season. Also Read – Top 10 Best Bowling Figures On ODI Debut (All Stats Updated Till 17th December, 2015)

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Top 10 Youngest players to make ODI debut

5. Yodhin Punja (UAE) – 16 Years 206 Days:

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