SAIF Zaib's star continues to rise with the High Wycombe youngster making his limited overs debut for Northamptonshire today.

The RGS High Wycombe pupil has been included in the Steelbacks side that faces a touring New Zealand A team at Northants' County Ground headquarters.

Aged just 16 years and two months, he is five months more junior than the previous youngest player to turn out for Northants in a limited overs game. The previous record holder was David Sales, who this week announced his retirement after making more than 22,000 runs since his 1994 debut for the county.

Zaib made his debut for the Northants first team against Durham MCCU as a 15-year-old earlier this season and hit an unbeaten first innings 54.

This season he also set a new RGS record after hitting 230 runs at the school's festival in July.

Zaib was this week also called up to the Midlands U17 to play in an ECB national cricket academy tournament at Loughbororugh University.

His captain at High Wycombe Cricket Club Matthew Eyles said: "We're delighted how his career's going so far. He's super talented and has got everything a modern day cricketer needs - he can bowl, he can hit it a long way and he's got all the shots.

"He's got a fantastic attitude towards cricket and he's got every chance of going all the way."