By Scott Heinrich BBC Sport

Taylor could become the youngest West Indies debutant for 44 years

West Indies took their bold youth policy to a new level by giving a Test debut to 18-year-old paceman Jerome Taylor against Sri Lanka.

It is no coincidence the Windies have gradually seen an upturn in their fortunes in recent times.

They have been unafraid to replace the likes of Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh with raw rookies, and in players like Jermaine Lawson and Omari Banks the Caribbean boasts some of the most exciting young talent in the game.

But in Taylor, who turns 19 on Sunday, West Indies are really taking a leap of faith.

The selectors saw enough in just seven first-class games to play Taylor in the final one-dayer against the Sri Lankans.

CARIBBEAN KIDS YOUNGEST WI TEST PLAYERS Derek Sealy (17yrs, 122days) v England, 1930 Gary Sobers (17yrs, 245 days) v England, 1954 Robin Bynoe (18yrs, 31days) v Pakistan, 1959 Jeff Stollmeyer (18yrs, 105days) v England, 1939 Alphonso Roberts (18yrs, 173days) v New Zealand, 1956 Alfred Scott (18yrs, 242days) v India, 1953

He first came to national attention last year when he had outstanding returns for Jamaica in the Under-19 championship.

The Jamaican's reputation, though, is one that befits a teenager who has played for his school, for Jamaica and for his country all in the same seaon.

He made his first-class debut in the Carib Beer Series in February and quickly made his mark, returning 8-59 against Trinidad and Tobago in his third match.

Using a relaxed action, Taylor generated pace consistently clocked in the high 80mph range and took 21 wickets at an average of 20.14.

"I feel great to see him living his dream, he played in the one-day game but playing in a Test match would be a different feeling," said father Joseph, who plays alongside his son for the Aberdeen Youth Club in the community league.

Taylor is the youngest since 18-year-old batsman Robin Bynoe played against Pakistan in Lahore in 1959.

At 14, Pakistani Raza was the youngest Test cricketer of all time

But though West Indies have boasted a number of teenage Test cricketers over the years, they still lag behind the leaders of the brat pack.

Pakistan, ever on the lookout for a new sensation, broke new ground when they handed 14-year-old Hasan Raza a Test debut in 1996.

Inevitably it was another Pakistani's record he broke, beating Mushtaq Mohammed to the punch by eight months.

Raza's second coming

But a promising debut against Zimbabwe has hardly been built on, and at 21 Raza's career is at the crossroads with just five Tests under his belt.

Two youngsters to make audacious debuts in recent times are Bangladesh batsman Mohammad Ashraful and Zimbabwean Hamilton Masakadza.

Ashraful, on the day before his 17th birthday in 2001, scored a century against Sri Lanka, a rarity for any Tigers batsman let alone one taking his Test bow.

Ashraful remains the best batsman in the Bangladesh line-up, and he is one of 15 men about to embark on a daunting trip to Australia.

But the most amusing story belongs to Masakadza.

After making a ton on debut at the age of 17, Masakadza was unknowingly given away by his father.

"I give my son to the cricket union for the rest of his lifetime," a delirious Kingston said after watching his son flay the West Indies.

Masakadza saw things differently and is presently studying for a bachelor of commerce degree at the University of Free State in Bloemfontein.