- Who
- Rashid Khan
- What
- 19:165 year(s):day(s)
- Where
- Zimbabwe (Bulawayo)
- When
Rashid Khan (b. 20 September 1998) was 19 years 165 days old when he took charge of Afghanistan in an ICC Cricket World Cup qualifier against Scotland in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, on 4 March 2018.
Rashid took up the role of captain when Afghanistan’s regular skipper, Asghar Afghan (aka Asghar Stanikzai), was ruled out of the match after surgery to remove his appendix. His tenure as captain lasted four matches (won 1, lost 3) before Stanikzai returned to lead the team against the United Arab Emirates on 20 March 2018.
The previous male record had stood for more than 13 years. Rajin Saleh (Bangladesh) was appointed captain of his country for an ICC Champions Trophy match against South Africa on 12 September 2004 at the age of 20 years 297 days. In the women’s game, Namibia’s Yasmeen Khan was 19 years 225 days old when she led her team against Malawi in a Twenty20 International in Gaborone, Botswana, on 20 August 2018. Note: this record includes appearances in all three international formats: Tests, One-Day Internationals (ODI) and Twenty20 Internationals (T20I).
Stand-in captain Rashid – at the time the International Cricket Council’s (ICC’s) No.1-ranked bowler in ODIs – had a day to forget in Bulawayo, out first ball in Afghanistan’s total of 255 all out before an expensive 10-over spell costing 68 runs eased Scotland to their victory target for the loss of just three wickets (256 for 3). Rashid’s only success, on what was described as “one of his worst days as an international cricketer”, was trapping Scotland’s Richie Berrington lbw for 67.
Despite the shock defeat to Scotland, and winning only one of their four group fixtures (all with Rashid as captain), Afghanistan made it through to the Super Sixes, where they finished second to the West Indies and therefore took one of the qualifying berths for the ICC Cricket World Cup, to be hosted by England and Wales in May-July 2019.
Khan made his international debut in an ODI against Zimbabwe on 18 October 2015, aged 17 years 28 days. He holds the record for the most international wickets taken by a teenager – 176, including 110 in ODIs.
