When England announced their squad for the test series against Bangladesh, fans came across quite a few relatively unknown names. Among those names, was the name of 19-year-old batting sensation Haseeb Hameed. The Lancashire batsman, who has impressed in his short first-class career of 19 games, was chosen as the replacement for Alex Hales, as the latter opted to skip the tour of Bangladesh.
Hameed’s career sample size might not comprise of a big number, but as per former England players, the rookie has done enough to earn a maiden call-up. Minutes after his selection, the young batsman spoke to the media and expressed his delight. Hameed mentioned that constant backing from Lancashire coach Ashley Giles had helped him a lot.
“I am confident in my ability to play the longer format now,” Hameed said. I know I’ve only played 19 first-class games, which doesn’t sound a lot, but I like to think I learn quite quickly when thrown into difficult situations, that has been another key to me getting the call at such a young age. So I am confident that if I can continue doing what I do hopefully that will stand me in good stead.”
Hameed opened up about the impact made on him by former England spinner Ashley Giles. “Ashley Giles told me it was a case of putting performances in and recognition will come with that, but if you start thinking about the recognition, your performances could be hindered. “Ash and the coaches here have never tried to alter my technique too much but they’ve told me when there were little changes to be made. They put things forward and it’s then been whether I liked the idea,” said Hameed.
When quizzed if he was ready to adapt to test cricket, the batsman answered with optimism. “There is no reason why what has worked for me so far will not work at the highest level. If there are any changes to be made – and I am always looking to get better – and I feel it is the right move, of course, I will be happy to do that. But at the moment I feel my game is in a good enough place to hold me in good stead against Bangladesh.”