These are stories that transcend the boundaries of time and space, and stay with the audience for a long and enduring time frame.
Let’s take a look at five of the youngest bowlers to claim a five-wicket haul in ODI cricket.
#5 Aftab Ahmed: 18 years 361 days
Bangladesh cricket has seen a lot of troubles and tribulation over the years but has also been responsible for unearthing some rare sporting talent in the same period. From time to time, they churn out diamonds from their cricketing mines and try to polish them to glory at the international level.
Aftab Ahmed was one such talent discovered by Bangladesh Cricket Board. The 32-year-old was drafted into the national side for the Champions Trophy in 2004. Though he was included in the playing XI for his thunderous batting, his first memorable performance for Bangladesh came with the ball.
In the second game of the ODI series between Bangladesh and New Zealand, the former capitulated to a total of just 146 in the first innings of the game. It looked like the impending chase would be a cakewalk for the mighty Kiwis batting line-up.
However, Ahmed had different plans. He scalped the wicket of the New Zealand opener, Nathan Astle, in the 20th over of the game. After that, he went on a rampage as he dismissed four more batsmen with his medium pace bowling and put the visitors in a serious spot of bother at 125 for the loss of six wickets.
It is worthy to be noted that the youngster sent Brendon McCullum back to the pavilion for a duck to complete his only five-wicket haul in international cricket. New Zealand managed to trudge to the score with 3 wickets remaining, but Ahmed was adjudged with the Player of the Match award for his terrific bowling display on the day.
#4 Wasim Akram: 18 years 266 days
He hurled missiles with his left arm, he wrecked havoc with his pace. Right from his nascent steps in international cricket, this legendary bowler showcased his immense ability to control the ball.
His first five-wicket haul in ODI cricket came in the World Championship of Cricket tournament, which was hosted by Australia in 1985. Akram achieved the feat against the hosts at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the fifth match of the competition.
After being put in to bat first, Pakistan notched up a respectable total of 262 for 6 at the end of 50 overs, courtesy twin fifties from their opening batsmen, Mudassar Nazar and Mohsin Khan.
However, it was their opening bowler everyone talked about after the conclusion of the game. With a display of menacing pace and blistering swing bowling, Akram thundered past the Australian batsmen. He straight up dismissed the first five names on the scorecard, thereby kicking the chase directly in its gut.
He finished with extraordinary figures of five for 21 in 8 overs, and a Man of the Match tag against his name.
#3 Rashid Khan: 18 years 178 years
The rise of Afghanistan cricket has been the most heartening and inspirational story of contemporary cricket. These individuals might not have truckloads of talent or immense financial support to usher them forward, but they make up for that with their undying reserves of spirit, dedication, and passion for the game.
Rashid Khan, at just 19 years of age, is one of the pioneers of this incredible story. He has displayed extreme consistency with his wrist-spin in the last couple of years and has already scripted his name in the golden pages of history.
The Afghanistan leggie now stands at the top of the ICC ODI rankings for bowlers. It is a splendid achievement for any bowler, more so for a 19-year-old. The fact that the feat has been conquered by someone coming from a country like Afghanistan makes it breathtakingly extraordinary.
His first five-wicket haul in international cricket came in a special ODI encounter against Ireland in March 2017, where a bowler from each side scalped six wickets each. Paul Stirling, who was Khan’s counterpart on the other side of the game, was given the Man of the Match award for his six-wicket stint.
However, it was Khan who ensured that his team notched up a 34-run victory over the Irishmen. He bowled 9.3 overs in the game and picked up six wickets, giving away just 43 runs. It is worthy to be noted that while Stirling had slightly better figures than the leggie on the day, most of his dismissals came in the form of lower-order batsmen.
Khan, on the other hand, was responsible for the departure of three of the top four batsmen in the Irish line-up, thereby ensuring a bigger impact on the overall scheme of things.
#2 Waqar Younis: 18 years 164 days
Where Akram features in a top-five list, how can Waqar Younis miss out? This right-arm pacer from Pakistan is one of the all-time great seam bowlers not only for the country, but for the world. His unmatched legacy remains the cornerstone for the ultimate success with the ball in international cricket.
Younis being the second youngest player on this list shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, considering the fact that he holds the record for the youngest cricketer to lead Pakistan in Test cricket. He was just 22 years old when he took over the captaincy in the longest format of the game.
His maiden five-wicket haul in ODI cricket came when he was a young and fearful 18-year-old seamer, when Pakistan played Sri Lanka in the fifth game of the Asia Cup in 1990.
Riding on the back of a terrific performance from the batting unit, Imran Khan’s team posted a total of 311 after being put in to bat by Sri Lanka. Younis swung the ball, and the match, in Pakistan’s favour in the second innings to take the chase out of the hands of Arjuna Ranatunga and Co.
He drew blood in the top order, middle order as well as the lower order of the Sri Lankan line-up and announced himself to world cricket on a grand scale once again.
#1 Mujeeb Ur Rahman: 16 years 32 days
Rashid Khan might boast of scripting the biggest success story of Afghanistan cricket right now, but every cricketer of this extraordinary team has a terrific tale to tell, nonetheless. Mujeeb Ur Rahman is definitely a part of that spectrum.
This young spin-bowler has been a revelation of sorts in the past one and a half year. His unparalleled performance in the final of the under-19 Asia Cup helped his nation lift the trophy after claiming an astonishing victory against Pakistan in the match. Rahman has continued to take giant strides in international cricket ever since he made his debut for his country in December last year.
He was also picked up by the Kings XI Punjab in the IPL 2018 auction earlier this year and he went to the franchise for a whopping sum of Rs. 4 crores.
Sachin Tendulkar created waves with his willow on the international arena at a tender age of just 16. Rahman did the same, but with the white ball. His maiden five-wicket haul in ODI cricket came against Zimbabwe on February 18, 2018 and his masterful display of spin-bowling on the day helped Afghanistan clinch the ODI series against Zimbabwe.
After Rahman played the pivotal role in dismissing the visitors for just 134 in 38 overs, the Afghanistan openers displayed their dominance by winning the game with ten full wickets to spare. The youngster was presented the Man of the Match award for his incredible effort.
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