Players who made their debut prior to 2003 & are still active cricketers

Nehra is a perfect exponent of how to swing the ball at pace

Mashrafe Mortaza

Mashrafe Mortaza burst on to the scene as Bangladesh’s first ever genuine fast bowler. He bowled with venom and got under the skins of batsmen. As a batsman, he used the long handle to good effect. He was swashbuckling in nature and gradually turned into a matured head, captaining Bangladesh in all forms of the game.

Being a fast bowler is a kind of a curse from the fitness point of view. Lack of fitness dropped down his pace. Getting his knees and ankles operated innumerable times didn’t help his cause. Previously, he used to hurl in 145 kmph thunderbolts and presently he ambles along to bowl medium pace.

As a leader, he has always been on his toes. At 33, he is still an integral component of the Bangladesh set up. He is currently captaining the Comilla Victorians team in the Bangladesh Premier League. There is still a lot of cricket left in the veteran.

Career Span: November 2001- Present (15 years)

Tests: 36

ODI’s: 166

T20I’s: 49

Mohammad Hafeez

Referred to as ‘The Professor’ by his teammates, Mohammad Hafeez has been as good as inextricable from Pakistan cricket. From opening the batting to hurling off-breaks to leading the side, Hafeez was hard to keep out of the contest.

Since his debut, roller-coaster performances made sure that Hafeez was in and out of the team at regular intervals. He piled on an audacious 10 man of the match awards in ODI’s. In the same year, he became the third player after Sanath Jayasuriya and Jacques Kallis to score 1000 runs and take 30 wickets in ODI’s in a calendar year.

In 2015, he was banned from bowling for 12 months due to a suspect action. At 36, the chances of his comeback look bleak, but one can’t count out the possibilities considering Hafeez’s temperament and tranquil mind.

Career Span: April 2003- Present (13 years and 7 months)

Tests: 50

ODI’s: 177

T20I’s: 77