Cricket took a change for the better in the 1990s, and incorporated a lot of modifications which gave it a global reach and made it a raging phenomenon, especially in the subcontinent.
A number of star players made their debut in the final part of the last millennium and had long and illustrious careers. Although most of them have retired, a handful of them are still active in international cricket. Here’s a look at five players, who made their international debut in the 1990s.
Chris Gayle
A T20 phenomenon since the format’s introduction in international cricket, Chris Gayle has had his share of tiffs and disputes with the West Indies Cricket Board, but has managed to extend his career into its seventeenth season with stellar performances over the years. One of only three batsmen to score a triple century in Tests, Gayle has broken many milestones with his trailblazing manner of batting.
Having played more than a 100 Tests and 250 ODIs, Gayle has over 7000 runs in each format. However, he has made the T20 format his own, scoring two international and as many as 17 domestic tons in the shortest version of the game. He made his debut in the West Indian side way before the format was even introduced, more precisely in September 1999. Facing the Indian bowlers at Toronto, he came ahead of Brian Lara at No.4, and could manage just a solitary run before being bowled by the gentle pace of Robin Singh.
He now makes sporadic appearances in ODIs, but was part of the triumphing World T20 side in March this year.
Shoaib Malik
One of the many young teenagers who made their way into the national side in the late 90s and early 2000s, Shoaib Malik showed promise immediately, scoring a Test hundred on debut against Bangladesh in 2001. However, he made his ODI debut in 1999 itself, featuring as a 17-year old in a Pakistani side that was going through internal changes, with the coach Javed Miandad having resigned just prior to the World Cup.
Listed as an off spinner in his first ODI, he bowled 8 overs and picked up the wickets of Sherwin Campbell and Ricardo Powell. 2001 onwards, he became an integral member of the squad. As he contributed more with the bat, he was gradually promoted up the order and opened sporadically with the bat for some time as well. With this tidy off-spin, he has taken 151 wickets from 232 ODI matches. Having captained the side as well, Malik has donned many caps for the Pakistan team and has filled multiple roles with both bat and ball. 17 years after his international debut, he still continues to be part of the middle order.
Rangana Herath
The pocket-sized left arm tweaker continues to be the primary spinner in the Sri Lankan Test format, having retired from ODIs and T20s earlier this year. The 39-year old made his debut as far back as 1999, but couldn’t hold on to his place for long. With the prolific Muttiah Muralitharan in their ranks, the Sri Lankans hardly required his services and he disappeared from the scene in late 2000. Although he made comebacks in 2004, 2008 and 2010, Herath had to wait for the legendary off-spinner to retire to claim his Test spot.
In all Herath has played 70 Tests, and has picked up 304 wickets at an average of just a shade over 30 and a Strike Rate of 65. He has 23 five-wicket hauls and 5 ten-wicket hauls in all. More importantly, he lends experience to a young Sri Lankan side still finding their feet in Test matches abroad.
Harbhajan Singh
India’s most successful off-spinner, who recently turned 36, might not be a key member of the Indian team currently, but has been their trump card on many important occasions with the ball. He last played Tests and ODIs for India in 2015, but was part of the limited overs squad earlier this year, making irregular appearances in the T20 team. The gates are not completely shut for him in ODIs, but the emergence of Ravi Ashwin as the frontline spinner in the last few years has made him lose his foothold in the Indian line-up.
The first Indian to take a hat-trick in Tests, “Bhajji” made his Test and ODI debut in the space of one month in 1998. Debuting in Tests against Australia, he picked up two wickets in India’s loss against Australia at Bangalore. He bowled a tidy spell in his first ODI against New Zealand and picked up the wicket of Matt Horne.
Overall, Harbhajan Singh has 417 Test and 269 ODI wickets under his belt.Although he last played a match for India in March 2016, there is always room for his recall, if the comebacks of Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina are anything to go by.
Ashish Nehra
The Delhi-bowler seems to be drinking from the fountain of youth, for the 37-year old seems to have hardly added a grey hair to his head, even in the eighteenth year of his international career. Tall and wiry, Nehra made a comeback into the Indian team after almost an year, owing to a hamstring injury.The left-arm pacer adds experience to a young Indian side, bowling with the same fervor as he used to as an 18-year old in 1999 when he debuted for India in a Test against Sri Lanka. Although the speedster last played a Test in 2004, and an ODI in 2011, he has been playing for the Indian team in the shortest format, picking up wickets with his ability to swing the ball into the right-hander.
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