'Receiving such appreciation was a great source of happiness' - Razaullah on Joe Root's praise

Razaullah announces himself on Test debut — and gets the seal of approval from Joe Root

Pakistan's 21-year-old allrounder Razaullah walked onto the Edgbaston stage for the 3rd Test (Sep 11) and immediately made England pay. After Pakistan were bundled out for 133 in the first Inn, and England posting a commanding 453, Razaullah stepped up with a blistering 81 off 63 balls — nine sixes, pure aggression.

The numbers don't lie: His debut ton-adjacent knock featured nine sixes, matching Tim Southee's joint record for most sixes by a Test debutant. And he didn't just bat — he took 4 wkts across the match, including the prized scalp of England skipper Joe Root. For a kid who'd played just 8 FC matches before this, that's not luck, that's raw value creation.

The turning point: Pakistan's 2nd Inn recovery was built on backs — Shan Masood (95), Babar (76), Azan Awais (59). Razaullah added a crunching 121-run 9th-wkt stand with Mohammad Abbas (42) to drag Pakistan to 449 after that first-innings collapse. Big-time composure under pressure.

The story that matters: Post-match, Joe Root personally praised the youngster. "Receiving such appreciation from a worldclass player was a great source of happiness and encouragement," Razaullah told NDTV Sports. For a rising talent, validation from an established elite player like Root is gold — the kind of credibility that compounds fast.

His approach: "I was being selective with which balls to slog... I wasn't scared of pace. I wanted to punish Archer's hard-length bouncers. There's nothing to be scared of when you're playing for your country." Fearless, calculated, and fluent — this is a player built for the big stage. Worth watching closely.

Source: Crictracker