5 youngest players to play ODIs for England apart from Rehan Ahmed
During the third ODI between England and Bangladesh, Rehan Ahmed became the youngest player to represent England in ODI cricket.
Rehan, who was 18 years and 205 days old at the time, broke the long-standing record previously held by Ben Hollioake. He recently became the youngest player to play Test cricket for England.
Ahmed did not really set the stage on fire on debut, returning figures of 1-62, but the young leg-spinner is one to look out for in the near future. Here, we look at the next five youngest players to have played ODI cricket for the Three Lions.
England Men’s Youngest Test Player - Rehan Ahmed 🏴
England Men’s Youngest ODI Player- Rehan Ahmed 🏴 https://t.co/9FoqokVVd1
#1 Ben Hollioake - 19 years, 195 days
Ben Hollioake held the record for being the youngest player to play ODIs for England for a long time until Rehan Ahmed broke it recently. Hollioake made his debut against Australia at Lord's in 1997 at the age of 19 years and 195 days.
He played just 20 games in the format, with the last of those coming against India in 2002. Hollioake passed away in 2022 in Australia following a car accident.
#2 Sam Curran - 20 years, 21 days
Sam Curran made his ODI debut against Australia in 2018 at the age of 20 years, 21 days. Curran, now 24, has played only 23 ODIs so far, picking up 26 wickets. He has also made some crucial contributions with the bat, with his highest score in the format being 95.
Curran is an important member of England's white-ball sides at the moment. He was stunning at the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, winning the award for player of the tournament.
#3 Stuart Broad - 20 years, 67 days
The evergreen Stuart Broad played his first ODI at the age of 20 years and 67 days and went on to play 121 games in the format, picking up 178 wickets. His best outing in the format came against South Africa, when he picked up 5 wickets while conceding just 23 runs.
Broad was dropped from England's ODI plans post the 2015 World Cup debacle but made a brief comeback, after which he was again discarded from the format. The 36-year-old is still active in Test cricket and was recently seen in the series against New Zealand.
#4 Ben Stokes - 20 years, 82 days
Ben Stokes received his first ODI cap at the age of 20 years and 82 days in a game against Ireland in 2011. Stokes featured in 105 ODIs for his country before announcing his retirement from the format in 2022. He has made 2924 runs and picked up 74 wickets in the format.
The highlight of Stokes' ODI career is the 2019 World Cup final, in which he played a crucial role as England finally became world champions. Stokes continues to play Tests and T20Is and is currently serving as the captain of the Test side.
#5 James Anderson - 20 years, 138 days
James Anderson also made his debut for the national team at a very young age and went on to represent his country 194 times in the format. He picked up 269 wickets at an average of 29.22, and his best outing came against South Africa in 2009, when he returned figures of 5-23.
Anderson played his last ODI in 2015, and like Stuart Broad, he too was shelved from the one-day plans after the 2015 World Cup drubbing. Anderson, now 40, continues to play Test cricket and has been in sensational form of late.