As far as cricket is concerned, leadership is often associated with on-field exposure and past experiences in addition to developed maturity. However, there have been many cases of individuals in international cricket who were initially pushed into leadership roles at quite a tender age.
A few instances from these have also seen those same individuals excel in the captaincy space with immense promise, while simultaneously defying previous trends and exceeding expectations from them—such cases often headline major Cricket news for their impact on the game's evolution.
Let’s look at the top three youngest captains who have established a commanding legacy for themselves:
1 Rashid Khan (19 years, 165 days)
Rashid Khan holds the distinction of being the youngest-ever skipper in international cricket. The leg-spinning all-rounder first captained the ODI side in 2018, and was then handed the captaincy across all formats in 2019.
Afghanistan cricket significantly transformed to greater heights with Rashid at the helm. It also reflected Afghanistan’s vision of grooming a youthful and dynamic team led by someone who had already imposed himself as a global T20 superstar. He continues to remain a key figure in international cricket, with his latest heroics often followed through Live Cricket Scores during Afghanistan’s matches.
2 Rajin Saleh (20 years, 297 days)
Rajin Saleh made his captaincy debut in the 2004 edition of the Champions Trophy against South Africa. Saleh’s stint as captain of the Bangladeshi side was brief. However, he led the side with courage and resilience.
He captained the team during a period when Bangladesh cricket was going through a rough patch in terms of navigating their path through international cricket. The top-order batter’s leadership laid the foundation for Bangladesh cricket’s success in the future.
3 Qasim Akram (20 years, 306 days)
Qasim Akram led a young and inexperienced Pakistani side at the Pakistan Asian Games Men's Cricket Competition 2023. His first game leading the side was the quarter-final clash against Hong Kong in which he scored 12 (16).
He came back well with the ball to register figures of 2/5 in 1.5 overs, as Pakistan registered a 68-run win. The all-rounder has played four T20Is for the Men in Green so far. He promises to be a bright prospect for the future, with his performances also being tracked through Live Cricket Scores and international records.
