T20 is a game for young and fast players. Almost every team looks to choose young players for their team when it comes to the shorter format. But there are a few instances where the team has gone with teenagers to feature in a big tournament like the T20 World Cup. Notably, the youngest player to play a T20 game is Marian Gherasim from Romania, who played the T20 match at the age of 14 years and 16 days in 2020. But in this article we will show you the list of the youngest player to ever feature in the World Cup.
1. Aayan Afzal Khan (16y 335d) in T20 World Cup 2022
Aayan Khan from United Arab Emirates become the youngest player to play T20 world cup. On the 2nd match on T20 World cup 2022, he played against Netherlands and broke this unique record. On this day, He was just 16 years and 335 days old. He took 1 wicket in the match and score 5 runs.
2. Mohammad Amir (17 years and 55 days) in the 2009 World Cup
The second youngest player to play in the World Cup was the former Pakistani speedster Mohammad Amir. The left-arm pacer achieved this feat in the 2009 World Cup in a match against England. He ended the match with a figure of 1/31 in his three overs. He was 17 years and 55 days old in that match. Overall, Amir represented Pakistan in 50 T20Is and picked up 59 wickets. He has also taken 119 and 81 wickets in 36 tests and 61 ODIs.
2. Rashid Khan (17 years and 170 days) in the 2016 World Cup
Rashid Khan doesn’t need an introduction in the game of cricket. He is one of the leading spinners in the T20 format. He has played all over the world and in various franchise leagues. But he became the third youngest player to play in the T20 World Cup when he played a match against Scotland at Nagpur in the 2016 World Cup. He was 17 years and 170 days old at that time.
3. Tamim Iqbal (18 years and 142 days) in 2007 World Cup
Tamim Iqbal is fourth on the list. He is the third youngest player to play in the T20 World Cup and he made his unique record when he played a match against West Indies at Wanderers Stadium in the inaugural season. However, he didn’t have a great performance in that tournament, but he was the youngest to play in that edition. He was just 18 years and 142 days old.
4. Paul Stirling (18 years and 285 days) in the 2009 World Cup
One non-Asian in the list is the Irish batsman, Paul Stirling. He played his first World Cup match when he was just 18 years and 285 days old. This was the 21st match of the 2009 event between Ireland and Pakistan. However, Stirling made only 17 runs in that match, but he became the fifth youngest player ever to play in the World Cup.
Youngest Player to play in T20 World Cup
| Name | Team | Age | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Aayan Afzal Khan | UAE | 16years and 335 days | 2022 |
| 2nd | Mohammad Amir | Pakistan | 17 years and 55 days | 2009 |
| 3rd | Rashid Khan | Afghanistan | 17 years and 170 days | 2016 |
| 4th | Tamim Iqbal | Bangladesh | 18 years and 142 days | 2007 |
| 5th | Paul Stirling | Ireland | 18 years and 285 days | 2009 |
| 6th | Rubel Hossain | Bangladesh | 19 years and 156 days | 2021 |
| 7th | Shahzaib Hasan | Pakistan | 19 years and 170 days | 2021 |
| 8th | AN Kervezee | Netherlands | 19 years and 267 days | 2021 |
| 9th | Junaid Siddique | Bangladesh | 19 years and 325 days | 2007 |
| 10th | Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Afghanistan | 19 years and 331 days | 2021 |