Making a debut for the national team is an ardent dream for any budding cricketer. Moreover, a Test debut is even more special considering the fact that it is the toughest format.
Debutants are certainly the most exciting players to watch as there’re always doubts if they belong to the level and if they’ll achieve as much as they aspire. With their greatest dream of playing Test cricket coming to reality, some players tend to rise to the occasion while some simply fail.
Discussing such test debutants and their achievements, here’s presenting you some of the records and stats around Test debutants:
Youngest Debutants in Test Cricket
When Pakistan’s Hasan Raza made his test debut at the tender age of 14 years and 227 days, he became the youngest Test debutant breaking the record of his countryman Mushtaq Mohammad.
The 10 youngest debutants in Test cricket are given below:
| SN | PLAYER | AGE ON DEBUT TEST | DEBUT DATE | OPPOSITION | VENUE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hasan Raza (PAK) | 14y 227d | OCT 24, 1996 | Zimbabwe | Faisalabad |
| 2 | Mushtaq Mohammad (PAK) | 15y 124d | MAR 26, 1959 | West Indies | Lahore |
| 3 | Mohammad Sharif (BAN) | 15y 128d | APR 19, 2001 | Zimbabwe | Bulawayo |
| 4 | Aaqib Javed (PAK) | 16y 189d | FEB 10, 1989 | New Zealand | Wellington |
| 5 | Sachin Tendulkar (IND) | 16y 205d | NOV 15, 1989 | Pakistan | Karachi |
| 6 | Aftab Baloch (PAK) | 16y 221d | NOV 8, 1969 | New Zealand | Dhaka |
| 7 | Talha Jubair (BAN) | 16y 223d | JUL 21, 2002 | Sri Lanka | Colombo (PSS) |
| 8 | Nasim-ul-Ghani (PAK) | 16y 248d | JAN 17, 1958 | West Indies | Bridgetown |
| 9 | Naseem Shah (PAK) | 16y 279d | NOV 21, 2019 | Australia | Brisbane |
| 10 | Enamul Haque Jnr | 16y 320d | OCT 21, 2003 | England | Dhaka |
Key Facts
Pakistan has the habit of bringing in youngsters very early at their age to International cricket – the reason why you see lot of names from the Asian side in the above list. Six of the ten entrants are from Pakistan.
However, except for Sachin Tendulkar and Aaqib Javed (to an extend), no other player in the above list went on to set a successful career.
Oldest Debutants in Test Cricket
As staggering as it may sound, the oldest Test debutant is 35 years older than the youngest one. England’s James Southerton has held on to this record since 1877 and it’s very unlikely that it’ll ever be broken.
The 10 oldest Test debutants are listed below:
| SN | PLAYERS | AGE ON TEST DEBUT | DEBUT DATE | OPPOSITION | VENUE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Southerton (ENG) | 49y 119d | MAR 15, 1877 | Australia | Melbourne |
| 2 | Miran Bakhsh (PAK) | 47y 284d | JAN 29, 1955 | India | Lahore |
| 3 | Donald Dearness Blackie (AUS) | 46y 256d | DEC 14, 1928 | England | Sydney |
| 4 | Herbert Ironmonger (AUS) | 46y 237d | NOV 30, 1928 | England | Brisbane |
| 5 | Nelson Betancourt (WI) | 42y 242d | FEB 1, 1930 | England | Port of Spain |
| 6 | Rockley Wilson (ENG) | 41y 337d | FEB 25, 1921 | Australia | Sydney |
| 7 | Rustomji Jamshedji (IND) | 41y 27d | DEC 15, 1933 | England | Mumbai |
| 8 | Archie Wiles (WI) | 40y 345d | JUL 22, 1933 | England | Manchester |
| 9 | Omar Henry (SA) | 40y 295d | NOV 13, 1992 | India | Durban |
| 10 | Sep Kinneir (ENG) | 40y 216d | DEC 15, 1911 | Australia | Sydney |
Key Stats
James Southerton, who still holds the record for the oldest cricketer to debut in Test cricket, played only two matches and picked seven wickets before retiring in 1879. Southerton was also the first cricketer to die when he fell to a short attack of pleurisy ten months after his retirement.
The highest number of Test matches any of the above ten cricketers played is 14 by Caribbean’s Nelson Betancourt. No other cricketer has played more than 4 Test matches.
Ed Joyce, who was part of Ireland’s first-ever Test match since the team’s recently acclaimed full-member status, is the only cricketer to debut at 37 in Tests in the 21st century. He was 39 years and 231 days old when Ireland played its inaugural Test match against Pakistan in 2018 in Dublin.
Rustomji Jamshedji, at the age of 41, is the oldest Indian cricketer to make his Test debut.
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