Hanif Mohammad (Pakistan)
Debut: v India, Delhi, October 1952
Age: 17 years, 300 days
Record: 55 tests, 3915 runs, average 43.98
The one they called "Little Master" long before a kid called Tendulkar patented that name. Hanif, part of a famous cricketing family, played the longest innings in test history, a jaw-droppingly resilient 337 in 970 minutes (a shade over 16 hours) against the West Indies in 1957-58. He followed that a year later with 499 - he was run out - in a first-class match, an innings that stood as a world record until Brian Lara's unbeaten 501 in county cricket.
Brian Close (England)
Debut: v New Zealand, Manchester, July 1949
Age: 18 years, 149 days
Record: 22 tests, 887 runs, average 25.34
A moderate record but a unique character and a fascinating story. Close was a wunderkind, a hard-hitting batsman whisked into the Yorkshire and English teams. But a tour of Australia brought him to his knees and he considered quitting. In and out of the England team, he became a county legend by captaining Yorkshire in a dominant period and then lifting Somerset. He was recalled, at the age of 45, to play for England against the West Indies.
Aravinda de Silva (Sri Lanka)
Debut: v England, Lord's, August 1984
Age: 18 years, 311 days
Record: 93 tests, 6361 runs, average 42.97
An entertainer and one of the key figures in Sri Lanka's progression from minnow to superpower. De Silva, strong on the cut and hook, was built close to the ground but showed no fear. His test record was good but he is best remembered for scoring a match-winning century in the 1996 World Cup final. Was later chief selector for Sri Lanka.
Sachin Tendulkar (India)
Debut: v Pakistan, Karachi, November 1989
Age: 16 years, 205 days
Record: 183 tests, 15,086 runs, average 56.08
What more is there to say? Cricinfo goes with "the most complete batsman of his time, the most prolific runmaker of all time, and arguably the biggest cricket icon the game has ever known." That seems to cover it.
Hasan Raza (Pakistan)
Debut: v Zimbabwe, Faisalabad, October 1996
Age: 14 years, 227 days (possibly)
Record: Seven tests, 235 runs, average 26.11
What were you doing when you were 14? I was doing my social studies homework and watching a new show called Shortland St. Hasan Raza was playing test cricket for Pakistan. Or was he? Doubts persist about his actual age, but he remains at the top of the list of youngest test cricketers.
Garry Sobers (West Indies)
Debut: v England, Kingston, March 1954
Age: 17 years, 245 days
Record: 93 tests, 8032 runs, average 57.78, 235 wickets, average 34.03The Superman of cricket. Sobers is unquestionably the greatest all-rounder the game has seen since WG Grace. His batting record alone is extraordinary. But he could also bowl, either fast-medium or spin, and was a superb fielder. Knighted in 1975.
Debut: v West Indies, Bulawayo, July 2001
Age: 18 years, 66 days
Record: 27 tests, 1540 runs, average 31.42, 55 catches, four stumpings
Short, even for a wicketkeeper. Has a useful record and his most recent test innings was 63 against the Black Caps. Became Zimbabwe's first black captain aged 21 but then quit after the players revolted against the board. Dropped off the scene but then reappeared.
Imran Khan (Pakistan)
Debut: v England, Birmingham, June 1971
Age: 18 years, 190 days
Record: 88 tests, 3807 runs, average 37.69, 362 wickets, average 22.81
Many profiles of Pakistan's greatest all-rounder lead off with the word "suave", which does something of a disservice to the man's sporting abilities. Imran was indeed a pin-up boy but he was a heck of a cricketer. Genuinely good enough to be either a specialist batsman or a specialist bowler, he captained Pakistan to World Cup victory in 1992. Later dabbled in politics.
Harbhajan Singh (India)
Debut: v Australia, Bangalore, March 1998
Age: 17 years, 265 days
Record: 98 tests, 2164 runs, average 18.65, 406 wickets, average 32.22
A glorious mix of nuttiness and talent. Harbhajan tormented the Australians in the great 2001 series, claiming 32 victims in three tests, including the first hat trick by an Indian. He struck controversy twice in 2008, when he was charged with racially abusing Andrew Symonds and then banned from the Indian Premier League for slapping team-mate Sreesanth.
Waqar Younis (Pakistan)
Debut: v India, Karachi, November 1989
Age: 17 years, 364 days
Record: 87 tests, 373 wickets, average 23.56
Few sights in test cricket were more fearsome than Waqar and Wasim Akram (also eligible for this XI) in their prime. Waqar was a strike-bowling machine who developed the ability to create prodigious swing with the ball.
Mohammad Amir (Pakistan)
Debut: v Sri Lanka, Galle, July 2009
Age: 17 years, 82 days
Record: 14 tests, 51 wickets, average 29.09
From rising star to cautionary tale. Amir burst on the scene with a blend of pace and rare maturity. But two years later, his career was in ruins.Implicated in the spot-fixing scandal along with two team-mates, he was sentenced to six months in jail.
Five New Zealanders played test cricket before they turned 19: Daniel Vettori (18 years, 10 days), Doug Freeman (18 years, 197 days), Giff Vivian (18 years, 267 days), Richard Collinge (18 years, 295 days) and Brendon Bracewell (18 years, 316 days).
