Young cricketers often find it tough to succeed in international cricket. They take a couple of seasons to find their feet. A player of the class of Virat Kohli scored his first century when he turned 21. It is often the child wonders who go on to register centuries at the international level. Oppositions don’t always know these unknown prodigies. They are caught off guard. Before they are able to come up with a plan, these young guns would have already surprised them. There have been few Players Who Scored International Century Before Turning 18.
We look at 4 Players Who Scored International Century Before Turning 18:
#4 Hamilton Masakadza
Hamilton Masakadza was Zimbabwe’s standout batsman during their struggling times. He scored his first Test hundred before turning 18. The fact that he scored a century against West Indies speaks volumes about his talent. He was just 17 years and 352 days old when he scored this century. Masakadza made 119 runs in this special knock. He helped Zimbabwe pull off a fine draw.
#3 Mohammad Ashraful
Mohammad Ashraful was one of the most gifted Bangladesh batsmen. He was easily Bangladesh’s best batsman in the last decade. Ashraful fashioned memorable wins for Bangladesh against teams like Australia, West Indies, and South Africa. He broke onto the international scene with a scintillating debut. Muttiah Muralitharan was spinning a web around Bangladesh. But a 17-year Ashraful played a masterly knock. He smashed a terrific century on debut. Ashraful’s 112 remains one of the best innings played by a teenager.
#2 Shahid Afridi
Shahid Afridi was arguably one of the most entertaining players to have ever played the game. He knew only one style of batting and that was to dominate the opposition. Afridi enthralled and annoyed in equal measure. He burst into the international scene with a spectacular inning. Afridi smashed the fastest ODI century ever. His 37 ball 100 was a long-standing record in world cricket. No other batsman on debut has smashed a faster century than Afridi. He did all this when he was just 16 years old (at least that’s what the records say)
#1 Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar was a boy wonder. He was destined to play for India right since he picked up the bat. There was a lot of buzz surrounding the young man even during his school days. He scored a century on Ranji Trophy debut, Irani Trophy debut, and Duleep Trophy debut. Tendulkar remains the only batsman to do so. The greatest batsman of all time smashed his first international ton when he was 17. He scored his first Test century against England at Old Trafford. His brilliant batting effort helped India save the Test.
