Hasan Raza

Hasan Raza is one of the many Pakistanis given an early exposure to international cricket, although even by those standards his Test debut at the age of 14 years and 227 days was exceptional (doubts about his birthdate and medical tests later resulted in the PCB withdrawing the record claim - his actual age was uncertain, but was around 15 at the time of debut). He performed admirably, but was soon discarded and left in the wilderness, although he continued to perform well at domestic and A-team level. He was recalled against Australia at Sharjah in 2002-03, scoring 54* and 68, but both innings were slow. Two more Tests against Zimbabwe followed before he was again replaced. He is a wonderful timer of the ball and a treat to watch, but has been unable to reproduce his fluency or strokeplay on the international stage. He had his moments with the A team, leading them to victory in the EurAsia Cup in Abu Dhabi in 2006. However, he risked his chances of making a comeback by joining the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League.
Martin Williamson February 2008