Being a captain is a big deal in cricket. It means you have to lead, handle pressure, and make decisions. Usually, it’s not something given to a new player. You have to show you’re a good player and team member first. But, there are five players who became captains at a really young age. Some of them, like Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi from India and Tatenda Taibu from Zimbabwe, were not very experienced in test cricket. Yet, they turned out to be great captains.
Let’s look at the top 5 youngest test captains in cricket history.
5. Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) 22 years 115 days
Shakib Al Hasan is really good at cricket. He can bat and bowl well. He’s left-handed and can bat and spin the ball with his left hand. He became the captain of the Bangladesh cricket team when he was only 22 years old. He’s famous for taking wickets when he bowls and scoring runs when he bats, especially when he plays as the fifth batsman. Some of his best moments in cricket include when Bangladesh won their first away series with him as captain, when he became the first Bangladeshi player to score five centuries, and when he was ranked as the best all-rounder in the world by the ICC.
4. Graeme Smith (South Africa) 22 years 82 days
Graeme Smith is really important for South African cricket. He became captain when he was only 22 years old. He’s a great batsman and leader. He helped the team recover from a tough time when a previous captain was involved in match fixing. He led the team to the top of the rankings in test and one-day cricket.
3. Waqar Younis (Pakistan) 22 years 15 days
Waqar Younis, a former fast bowler from Pakistan, is famous for figuring out and using reverse swing bowling well. He became captain of the Pakistan test team at just 22 years and 15 days old, making him the youngest captain from Pakistan. However, his time as captain wasn’t very successful. Throughout his career, he played 87 test matches and took 373 wickets. He, along with Wasim Akram, made up one of the best fast bowling duos in world cricket.
2. Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi (India) 21 years 77 days
Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi was a special cricketer from a royal family. He wasn’t just any player; he was the captain of the Indian cricket team, and he became the youngest captain when he was just 21 years and 77 days old. He led the team in 40 matches. Under his leadership, India won their first test match overseas against New Zealand in 1967. He was a highly respected player and captain. Sadly, he passed away on September 22, 2011, at the age of 70.
1. Tatenda Taibu (Zimbabwe) 20 years 358 days
Tatenda Taibu was the youngest cricket player ever to lead a national team in a test match. He’s from Zimbabwe and he’s a wicket-keeper batsman, which means he catches the ball and also bats. Even though he’s really short, only about 5 feet tall, he amazed everyone when he first started playing. He started playing in 2001, and when he was just 20 years and 358 days old, he became the captain in 2005 after Heath Streak stepped down. Taibu played 28 test matches for Zimbabwe. In those matches, he scored 1546 runs, caught 57 balls, and did 5 stumpings.
READ MORE: Top 5 Indian Captains with Most Test Series Wins
