New Delhi. In the world of cricket, new records are made and broken every day, but some records get recorded in the pages of history which become impossible to even touch. One such incredible and unbreakable record is registered in the name of a female cricketer from Pakistan. We are talking about Sajjida Shah, who had achieved that position at a very young age, which players spend half their life to achieve. In today’s era, when young players struggle to make a place in the team, Sajjida surprised everyone by entering the world of international cricket at the age of just 12.
Sajjida Shah, born on 03 February 1988, spent her childhood not in playing with dolls like other children, but on the cricket field. When children were studying in seventh or eighth grade, Sajjida was preparing to wear the national jersey of Pakistan. He played the first ODI match of his career against Ireland in Dublin on 23 July 2000. At the time of this historic debut, his age was only 12 years and 171 days.
This world record is in the name of Sajida Khan.
Got test cap 7 days after ODI debut
Sajjida’s talent and passion were so strong that just seven days after his ODI debut, he was given the Test cap against Ireland. In this way, he not only made his debut at such a young age, but also cemented his place in the longest and toughest format of the game. She is one of the few players to represent Pakistan in all three formats of cricket (Test, ODI and T20).
Why this world record of Sajjida cannot be broken
This question often arises in the minds of sports lovers that will any player in future be able to break this record of Sajjida Shah? The simple and clear answer to this is no. ICC has now made a major change in the rules keeping in mind the safety of the game and players. According to the new rules, now it is mandatory for any player to be at least 15 years of age to make his international debut. The effect of this strict rule was recently seen in Indian cricket also. India’s young sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi, despite his unmatched talent, had to wait to meet the same age criteria to be included in the Indian team. After the implementation of this rule of ICC, it has now become clear that this world record of Sajjida Shah of making her debut at the age of 12 has become immortal forever in the history of the game.
A decade long career and unmatched statistics
Sajida Shah was not only in the news because of her age, but her performance on the field was also commendable. She served as the backbone of the Pakistan women’s cricket team for almost a decade. She was also a very important part of the Pakistani team in the Women’s Cricket World Cup played on Australian soil in 2009, where she impressed the world with her sportsmanship.
If we look at his career statistics, he played a total of 2 test matches for Pakistan, in which he batted brilliantly and scored 100 runs in 3 innings. At the same time, his contribution in ODI cricket was the longest and most effective. Sajjida played 60 ODI matches in his career, in whose 59 innings he added valuable 863 runs for his team. During this period, an excellent half-century also came from his bat. Sajjida used to wreak havoc on the opposing team not only with the bat but also with the ball. He performed brilliantly in his ODI career and took a total of 51 wickets, which proves his usefulness as an all-rounder. Apart from this, when the shortest and fastest format of cricket i.e. T20 International came into existence, Sajjida left her mark there too. He played a total of 8 T20 International matches in his career, in which he scored 86 runs in 8 innings and while trying his hand at bowling, he also took 3 important wickets in 5 innings.
Goodbye at the age of 22
Sajjida Shah’s career ended just as quickly as it had started. In the year 2010, he said goodbye to international cricket forever. When he retired, he was only 22 years old. An age when most players dream of starting their career or reaching the peak of their form. Despite saying goodbye to cricket at the age of just 22, Sajjida had achieved everything that many legendary players are unable to do in their entire career. Today, Sajjida Shah may not be seen on the field, but whenever there is mention of the players who made their debut at the youngest age in the history of cricket, the name of this Pakistani player will shine at the top. His journey will always be an example for the coming generations that if one has skill and courage, then age becomes just a number.
