From 8 First-Class Games to Test Cricket: Razaullah’s Incredible Leap

From just eight first-class games to Test cricket, Razaullah stunned England with 92mph pace, four wickets and nine sixes in a remarkable Pakistan debut.

Razaullah Story (Who Is Razaullah? The Unknown Pakistan Bowler Who Shocked England)

Pakistan’s disastrous England tour may have ended in a 3-0 Test series defeat, but it produced one discovery that could prove far more valuable than a consolation victory. His name is Razaullah.

Until a few days before the Edgbaston Test, the 21-year-old fast bowler from Mardan was virtually unknown outside Pakistan’s domestic cricket circles. Then, in one extraordinary Test, he became a record-maker with both bat and ball.

He claimed four wickets for 148 runs in England’s first innings, with his first Test wicket being Joe Root, dismissed with only the fourth ball of his international career.

Then came an even more remarkable batting performance. Promoted to No. 9 with Pakistan facing the prospect of an innings defeat, Razaullah smashed 81 from just 63 balls, including nine sixes. His fifty came in 43 balls, the fastest by a Pakistani debutant. His nine sixes equalled Tim Southee’s record for most sixes in a Test debut innings and established a Pakistan record for a No. 9.

What made the assault even more remarkable was that eight of those sixes came against England’s fast bowlers, including three in one over from Gus Atkinson. He was taking on an attack featuring Jofra Archer, Atkinson and Josh Tongue without showing any sign of intimidation.

Pakistan were 312 for seven when Razaullah walked in, still eight runs short of making England bat again. Instead of simply trying to survive, he attacked. With Mohammad Abbas, he added 121 for the ninth wicket as Pakistan reached 449, their highest total of the series, leaving England 130 to win.

His nine sixes were the most by a Pakistan batter in a Test innings since Inzamam-ul-Haq also hit nine against New Zealand in 2002, while his total also set a record for a Pakistan No. 9. He became only the fourth player since 2000 to score a fifty and take four wickets on Test debut, joining Southee, Wanindu Hasaranga and Corbin Bosch.

Yet there had been clues that Razaullah was more than an ordinary fast-bowling prospect.

He made his first-class debut only in the 2025-26 season and had played just eight matches before being summoned to Pakistan’s Test squad. In those games he had taken 30 wickets at 20.86, including three five-wicket hauls.

He had also already demonstrated his batting ability. He scored a first-class hundred from just 95 balls, with 10 fours and five sixes. In the same match, he made an unbeaten 57 in the first innings before being promoted to open when Peshawar followed on. He responded with another century, showing that his extraordinary hitting at Edgbaston was not entirely out of character.

His route to Test cricket began with his Pakistan Super League debut for Rawalpindi earlier this year. His raw pace attracted attention and he played two matches, taking three wickets. He was subsequently called into a fast-bowling camp for the national side.

But even then, few could have predicted how quickly his career would move. His Test selection was so sudden that he reportedly did not even have a passport when the call came. There were also reports that officials initially struggled to contact him because his phone was switched off, with a coach eventually going to locate him. A player with only eight first-class appearances was suddenly being rushed through the formalities to join Pakistan’s Test squad in England.

Perhaps the most important discovery for Pakistan, however, is his genuine pace. His first Test over contained deliveries around 89 mph, and he subsequently touched 91 and 92 mph. His first six balls averaged 89.7 mph, making him significantly quicker than anything Pakistan had produced earlier in the series.

At 21, Razaullah remains an unfinished product, with limited red-ball and international experience and plenty to learn. But Pakistan now have something they badly needed: a young fast bowler capable of genuinely threatening batters with speed.

Behind the statistics is an equally interesting personal story. Razaullah comes from Mardan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. His elder brother Samiullah played an important role in encouraging him towards cricket rather than following a more traditional working life. He came through the domestic system with Peshawar and Sahir Associates before making his first-class, List A and T20 appearances.

Only months later, he was at Edgbaston bowling to Joe Root—and not merely bowling to him but dismissing him.

Pakistan lost all three Tests. But from that disappointment emerged a player who had barely registered on the international radar. Razaullah’s Test career could hardly have begun more dramatically.