Shah took five for 31 as Pakistan skittled Sri Lanka out for 212 in their second innings in Karachi, handing the Pakistanis a 263-run victory and a first Test win on home soil since 2006.

At 16 years and 311 days, Shah officially became the second-youngest player ever to take a five-wicket haul in a Test innings with his feat – just missing out on the record set by Pakistani spinner Nasim-ul-Ghani against the West Indies in 1959, when he was 16 years and 303 days young.  

But Shah’s rapid rise since his international debut against Australia in November has been accompanied by something of a sticky wicket about his stated age.

Some have suggested Shah is the Benjamin Button of cricket, noting articles and a social media post from Pakistani journalist Saj Sadiq back in 2018 which put Shah at 17 years old – leading former India star Mohammad Kaif to point out that would mean he is “aging backwards.”

Other articles have cited quotes from 2016 which supposedly listed Shah as being 16 even back then.

The debate has been such that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) boss Wasim Khan was forced to publicly dismiss the rumors in November, suggesting they were the nefarious work of bitter rivals India.

“You only need to look at his face,” Khan said.

“He’s hardly got any growth on his face. In terms of that, people question it no doubt, just because of his age and the fact that he’s a mature lad and the fact he’s playing international cricket at this age.

“But the bottom line is he’s 16 years old and he’s playing. We don’t really care what India think.”

After Shah’s display against Sri Lanka, Pakistani journalist Sadiq again alluded to the age debate, tweeting: “Doesn’t matter whether Naseem Shah is 16, 17, 18 or 19 – he’s a brilliant prospect. Bowled with fantastic control, good pace and bowled with plenty of intelligence in this innings. What a talent.”

Indeed, a cricketer of any age would be happy to lay claim to Shah's performance against Sri Lanka, as he helped Pakistan seal an emotional win in their first Test series on home soil since 2009.

That was the year gunmen attacked a bus carrying the Sri Lankan team to a match against Pakistan in Lahore, leaving six policemen and two civilians dead, and six players wounded.

Pakistan played home games in the UAE in the ensuing decade amid security concerns, but will hope their return home this year bodes well for more Tests – with the talented Shah leading the bowling attack.