Jacob Bethell joins this elite list of youngest ever international cricket captains
Zach Vukusic became the youngest international cricket captain when he led Croatia against Cyprus in a T20I in early August 2025.
Jacob Bethell was appointed England’s youngest ever T20I captain in the same month.
Find out more about the youngest captains in international cricket.
Youngest captains in T20Is
You’ll see several small nations on this list. Keep in mind that the International Cricket Council gave T20I cricket status to all member nations in early 2019.
The youngest T20I captain among ICC full member nations, though, is Pakistan’s Qasim Akram. He was put in charge during the 2023 Asian Games, leading other more experienced players – in cricket and in life – as a 20-year-old.
France have two players among the top 10 youngest captains in T20Is. Noman Amjad did it as an 18 year old and Gustav McKeon as a 20 year old. Mckeon holds another record – he is the only man to hit consecutive centuries in T20I cricket.
Youngest captains in T20Is – top 10 summary list
1. Zach Vukusic (Croatia) – 17 years, 311 days
2. Noman Amjad (France) – 18 years, 24 days
3. Carl Hartmann (Isle of Man) – 18 years, 276 days
4. Luwsanzundui Erdenebulgan (Mongolia) – 18 years, 324 days
5. Didier Ndikubwimana (Rwanda) – 19 years, 327 days
6. Aaftab Limdawala (Malawi) – 20 years, 18 days
7. George Ngegba (Sierra Leone) – 20 years, 19 days
8. Burhan Niaz (Belgium) – 20 years, 103 days
9. Virandeep Singh (Malaysia) – 20 years, 190 days
10. Gustav Mckeon (France) – 20 years, 204 days
Youngest captains in ODIs
Rashid Khan is at the top of the youngest ODI and youngest Test captains lists. He is effectively the poster child for Afghanistan cricket – and was thrust into the leadership of both formats at an early age.
He was their best bowler, among their best batters and one of their best tacticians at the time. His leadership roles have since come, gone and returned in various iterations amid his increasing T20 domestic responsibilities away from his country.
Nepal, meanwhile, have two captains among the top 10 youngest in ODI cricket. Among the big nations, batter Kane Williamson was the youngest for New Zealand and fast bowler Waqar Younis the youngest for Pakistan.
Youngest captains in ODIs – top 10 summary list
1. Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) – 19 years, 165 days
2. Rohit Paudel (Nepal) – 20 years, 73 days
3. Rajin Saleh (Bangladesh) – 20 years, 297 days
4. Anshuman Rath (Hong Kong) – 20 years, 315 days
5. Tatenda Taibu (Zimbabwe) – 20 years, 342 days
6. Vriitya Aravind (United Arab Emirates) – 21 years, 21 days
7. Prosper Utseya (Zimbabwe) – 21 years, 125 days
8. Sandeep Lamichhane (Nepal) – 21 years, 226 days
9. Kane Williamson (New Zealand) – 21 years, 332 days
10. Waqar Younis (Pakistan) – 21 years, 354 days
Youngest captains in Tests
Younis also occupies a position among the youngest Test captains, but possibly the most famous of all in this top 10 list is South Africa’s Graeme Smith. He went on to become the most successful captain in the history of Test cricket.
Smith had a lot of fans to oblige and even more critics to silence during his opening years of Test captaincy. He did just that, welcoming this huge responsibility by hitting two double-centuries during 2003’s tour of England.
It was a remarkable feat for such a young man. Yet he embraced the pressure with confidence and ease beyond his young 22 years. South Africa and, indeed, any other Test cricket country have yet to see such a successful batting captain since.
Youngest captains in Tests – top 10 summary list
1. Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) – 20 years, 350 days
2. Tatenda Taibu (Zimbabwe) – 20 years, 358 days
3. Mansur Pataudi (India) – 21 years, 77 days
4. Waqar Younis (Pakistan) – 22 years, 15 days
5. Graeme Smith (South Africa) – 22 years, 82 days
6. Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) – 22 years, 115 days
7. Ian Craig (Australia) – 22 years, 194 days
8. Javed Miandad (Pakistan) – 22 years, 260 days
9. Murray Bisset (South Africa) – 22 years, 306 days
10. Mohammad Ashraful (Bangladesh) – 22 years, 353 days
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