By Shahid A. Hashmi Special correspondent

Hasan Raza is just 20 years old now, but when he made his debut in Faisalabad in 1996-7 he was only 14 - the youngest Test player ever.

Now he is back in the side, and was the one shining light for the Pakistani batsmen in the final Test in Sharjah.

He topscored in both innings, hitting a composed 54 not out in the first innings and by Monday night he was unbeaten on 56 after Pakistan had followed on.

The unassuming lad from Karachi had exactly the sort of successful comeback he was seeking, having had only two Test innings prior to the match.

When I look back I feel dejected that I have lost some crucial years Hasan Raza

When he made his Test debut, many believed he would serve Pakistan for a long time.

"It was like a dream come true, playing for Pakistan at an age when others merely dream of it," Raza told BBC Sport Online.

Back then, on a traditionally slow Faisalabad track, Raza impressed with his technique by making 27 in the only innings in which he was required to bat.

However, he subsequently lost his way like many other youngsters in Pakistan cricket.

"Raza may not show his disappointment but being close to him I know how deprived he feels after losing his place," says his elder brother Mumtaz.

A successful tour to Australia with the Pakistan under-19 side where he scored three hundreds brought him back into the reckoning.

His second chance in Test came against the same opponents he made his debut against, Zimbabwe, in Lahore in the 1998-99 series which Pakistan lost 1-0.

Raza alone showed good technique in Sharjah

Raza made just three, dismissed by the leg-spinner Adam Huckle.

In between he had played 16 one-dayers for Pakistan with modest success, scoring 242 runs with a highest score of 77, but off the field activities halted his career.

Raza, together with childhood friend Shahid Afridi and Atiquz Zaman, invited female guests to their hotel rooms during the 2000 Singapore Challenge tournament.

The trio were suspended by the Pakistan Cricket Board for ICC Trophy in Kenya 2000 and fined 50,000 rupees each.

Dropped down to the Pakistan A side, Raza captained the team to a series win in Sri Lanka last year.

He was the top-scorer in the three unofficial Tests, making centuries in Dambulla and Galle.

But despite this and the 670 runs he made in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy the selectors continued to overlook him for the full Pakistan side.

He was eventually recalled only after a media campaign and more impressive form during the home series against Sri Lanka A last month.

Raza scored a match-winning hundred in the first match at Faisalabad and was duly drafted back into the senior team for the matches against Australia.

"When I look back I feel dejected that I have lost some crucial years but I am confident that I have the capacity to make amends, I will," he says.

"I want to play for a long time, like Javed Miandad and Zaheer Abbas."