Aus vs Pak: Naseem Shah cries as Waqar Younis hands him Test cap ahead of Gabba debut

Australia and Pakistan began playing the first Test of the 2-Test series in Brisbane on Thursday. Pakistan struggled after the first session tremendously. However, one of the biggest highlights of the day for the visitors was the debut of 16-year-old pacer Naseem Shah.

ALSO READ | Sana Mir announces shock, indefinite break from international women's cricket

An emotional Shah accepts his Test cap

This morning, Pakistan legend Waqar Younis handed over the Pakistan Test cap to 16-year-old Naseem Shah. Shah, who is currently 16 years and 279 days old, is the youngest debutant to play a Test match in Australia and the ninth-youngest of all-time. An emotional Shah fought back his tears as he accepted the cap and hugged his peers.

ALSO READ | Cricket commitment or Pollution meet as MP?: Gautam Gambhir's 30second answer

Shah's mother tragically passed away last week and the pacer chose to not go back home, continuing to play the series in an attempt to fulfill his mother's dream. Shah attracted a lot of eyeballs last week as the Pakistanis took on Cricket Australia XI. His fiery bowling garnered a lot of attention and a lot was speculated about him making his debut in Brisbane.

ALSO READ | Finest cricketers to grace India's maiden pink ball Test

Naseem Shah: A promising talent

In an interview on PCB's YouTube page, Shah talked about how he began his cricketing journey in Lahore. The youngster also mentioned how he has watched videos of legendary Pakistani bowlers like Shoaib Akhtar on YouTube and tried to learn from them. He also mentioned how he tries to not get carried away by his idols and focuses on maintaining his own bowling action and rhythm. Shah's spectacular spells in Pakistan's first-class cricket caught the attention of the national selectors, led by head coach Misbah-ul-Haq, who insisted on selecting him in the Pakistan squad for the Australia tour.

ALSO READ | Ind vs Ban: Sunil Gavaskar calls for separate stats between pink ball and red ball cricket