5 youngest players to take a five-wicket haul in Tests

In the ongoing Test match between Bangladesh and West Indies at Chittagong, young Bangladeshi bowler Nayeem Hasan has captured headlines with his five-wicket haul that has made him youngest ever bowler to take five wickets on debut and the third youngest to take a five-wicket haul in an innings.

Here is a look at five youngest players to take a five-wicket haul in Tests.

Nasim-ul-Ghani (Pakistan) 16 years and 303 days

Way back in March 1958, Pakistan’s Nasim-ul-Ghani became the youngest ever cricketer to take a five-wicket haul in Test history. Ghani, who started out as a slow left-arm spinner, took 5-116 against the West Indies at Georgetown in a match that the home team won by eight wickets. Ghani’s career began with a bang, but he could only play 29 Tests eventually.

Mohammad Amir (Pakistan) 17 years and 257 days

When he burst onto the scene as a youngster, he was a true sensation. Pakistan’s Mohammad Amir, at 17 years and 257 days, grabbed 5-79 against Australia at Melbourne in 2009 to become the second youngest bowler to take a five-wicket haul in Tests. While Pakistan lost the match, young Amir’s ability as a fast bowler really shone through.

Nayeem Hasan (Bangladesh) 17 years and 355 days

The 1st Test of West Indies tour of Bangladesh at Chittagong has seen several ups and down. But on a pitch that is aiding spin heavily, the young Bangladeshi off-spinner, aged 17 years and 355 days, extracted great bounce and turn and ended up with 5-61 that broke the back of the West Indies. What’s laudable is that this was Nayeem’s debut game and with this five-wicket haul he became the youngest ever player to take five wickets on debut, overtaking Pat Cummins of Australia.

Enamul Haque (Bangladesh) 18 years and 32 days

Although he went on to play only 15 Tests in his career, Enamul Haque on made a name for himself briefly. At 18 years and 32 days, he took 6-45 against Zimbabwe at Chittagong in 2005 and was a significant part of their historic maiden Test victory. Enamul was the hero of that Test and was also adjudged the Man-of-the-Match for his terrific performance on the final day that helped earned a stunning victory. Back then Enamul had become the second youngest bowler to take a five-wicket haul in Tests.

Daniel Vettori (New Zealand) 18 years and 46 days

This wonderful left-arm spinner displayed traces of his brilliance at a very young age. At 18 years and 46 days, New Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori snared 5-86 against Sri Lanka at Hamilton in 1997. With Lanka needing 326 on a hard surface, Vettori’s match-winning spell helped earn a victory for the Kiwis by 120 runs and shot him to instant fame. Vettori would later go on to capture 362 Test wickets in his glittering career.

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