Noor Ahmed has become the latest player to make his men’s World Cup debut before his 20th birthday – here are six others who made an impact as teenagers in men’s World Cups.

Noor took 3-49 against Pakistan, dismissing both Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan to put Afghanistan in a strong position. At 18-years-old, he’s the 18th youngest player to make his men’s World Cup bow and the second 18-year-old to take a three-for in the competition after teammate Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

He is the latest in a long line of teenagers to put in eye-catching performances in the competition.

Sachin Tendulkar

Typically, there are several memorable performances from Tendulkar at the 1992 World Cup, during which he was 18-years-old. He hit 81 against Zimbabwe in Hamilton, for which he was given the Player of the Match award. There was also 82 against New Zealand in Dunedin, where he anchored the innings during a collapse. However, his most outstanding performance was against Pakistan in Sydney. Coming in in the 28th over at 101-3, he hit an unbeaten 54 and shepherded India to set Pakistan 217 to win. They fell well short, and Tendulkar was once again Player of the Match.

Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib turned 20 during the 2007 World Cup, but managed to get four matches in before his birthday. In one of the great World Cup upsets, Bangladesh beat India in Port of Spain, effectively knocking them out of the tournament. Bangladesh fielded three teenagers in their lineup that day – Shakib, Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim. All three made half-centuries, with Mushfiqur’s unbeaten 56 taking taking the plaudits. But Shakib’s 56, as well as the ten overs he bowled for just 44 runs also made a huge impression.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Mujeeb made his World Cup debut in the 2019 tournament just over a month after his 18th birthday. He already had well over a year of international experience by that point, and over 50 ODI wickets. His most eye-catching performance in the tournament came against Bangladesh in Southampton. He took three wickets for 39 runs off ten overs, dismissing Litton Das, Shakib and Soumya Sarkar. Bangladesh ended up posting 262-7, which Afghanistan fell well short of.

Shaheen Shah Afridi

Another teenager in the 2019 edition, Shaheen Shah Afridi made a huge impression during the tournament and ended up in the top ten wicket-takers. He took three wickets against New Zealand and four against Afghanistan, but his six-for against Bangladesh was the stand out. It made him the youngest player ever to take a five-for in a men’s ODI World Cup, and his 6-35 was also the best figures ever for Pakistan in the competition. It was a consolation win for Pakistan, who were eliminated despite winning the match.

Ikram Alikhil

Now back in Afghanistan’s side in the current tournament, Ikram Alikhil first made his mark in 2019. He scored an impressive 86 – within touching distance of becoming the first teenager to score a men’s World Cup century – before being trapped lbw by Chris Gayle of all people. He shared a 133-run partnership with Rahmat Shah, but it wasn’t enough to get Afghanistan over the line in a steep chase. They fell 23 runs short.

Mushfiqur Rahim

Mushfiqur’s heroics against India in 2007 were mentioned under Shakib’s entry, but they also deserve a spot of their own on this list. He had ten ODIs under his belt before he anchored their chase brilliantly in Port of Spain, and was already the youngest player ever to feature in a Test at Lord’s. He took two catches behind the stumps in India’s innings, one of them to dismiss Tendulkar. While a run of low scores followed his success in the game, that performance stands out for its maturity in the face of an India side packed with all-time greats.

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