Records are meant to be broken, this proverb fits perfectly when it comes to the gentlemen’s game. On Saturday, Nepal batsman Rohit Paudel became the youngest male player in history of the sport to slam an international half-century. At the age of 16 years, 146 days, Rohit played an impressive knock off 55 off 58 balls against UAE to break several long-standing records in the game.

Paudel surpassed none other than legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who made 59 in a Test against Pakistan aged 16 years and 213 days. In ODIs Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi, who smashed a 37-ball century, held record at the age of 16 years and 217 days to score his maiden international ton against Sri Lanka.

Paudel is, however, some way off the overall record for all international cricket, with South Africa Women’s Johmari Logtenburg having struck Test and ODI half-centuries as a 14-year-old.

Paudel’s half-century was his side’s highest score in the second ODI against UAE, which his side began 1-0 down in the series. He had previously come close to setting a world record when he made his ODI debut aged 15 years and 335 days back in August 2018, making him the fourth-youngest man in history to do so.

He has long been touted as a future star of Nepalese cricket, having struck highly rated Indian speedster Kamlesh Nagarkoti for 24 runs in five balls in an U19 ODI in 2016, and was at the crease as Nepal secured ODI status for the first time with victory over Papua New Guinea at the Cricket World Cup Qualifier.