Credit: ICC
Lhuan-dre Pretorius scripted history on the first day of the opening Test between South Africa and Zimbabwe at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. Batting first after winning the toss, when the Proteas lost four wickets at a score of 55, debutant Pretorius stepped up with his bat and took Zimbabwe’s bowling attack to the cleaners. He went on to notch up his maiden ton and broke into record books as the youngest Protea player to score a century in red-ball cricket, beating the record of legendary Graham Pollock.
Noting this new milestone, SportsTiger has come up with the five youngest players to score hundreds in their maiden Test matches.
List of five youngest players to score century in debut Tests
5. Lhuan-dre Pretorius - 19 years and 93 days
Lhuan-dre Pretorius, with his knock against Zimbabwe, achieved this feat at the age of 19 years and 93 days. He concluded his innings after scoring 153 in 160 balls. His scintillating knock was studded with 11 fours and four maximums.
4. Prithvi Shaw - 18 years and 329 days
In October 2018, Prithvi Shaw entered the record books as the youngest Test centurion for Team India. In his debut match against the West Indies at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, he played a 134-run knock from his bat and guided India to an innings and 272-run win. Shaw also got the player of the match (POTM) award for his innings.
3. Saleem Malik - 18 years and 323 days
In the game between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at the National Stadium, debutant Saleem Malik scored an unbeaten ton in the second innings and helped Pakistan vanquish Sri Lanka by a colossal margin of 204 runs in 1982.
2. Hamilton Masakadza - 17 years and 352 days
In 2001, Zimbabwe gave stiff competition to the West Indies in the Test match played in Harare. The game became notable due to debutant Hamilton Masakadza’s 119-run innings in the second innings. The match ended in a stalemate and Masakadza became the Player of the Match for his ton.
1. Mohammad Ashraful - 17 years and 61 days
Mohammad Ashraful was known for his superb batting prowess in Bangladesh in the 2000s. In September 2001, when Sri Lanka pummelled the Bangla team by an innings and 137 runs in Colombo, he showcased his courage in the second innings and scored 114 runs. The match ended in Sri Lanka’s favour but debutant Ashraful shared the POTM award with the legend Muttiah Muralitharan, who grabbed a couple of fifers in the match.
