19-year old England batsman Haseeb Hameed is currently the talk of the town. The youngster has been included in England’s Test squad for the upcoming series against Bangladesh. Seen as the next big thing in England cricket, Hameed is rated very highly in England and is earmarked for greater things. With regular Test opener Alex Hales opting to stay in England due to security concerns, Hameed can partner England skipper Alastair Cook at the top of the order. Since the retirement of Andrew Strauss, England have been searching for a reliable batsman and if the youngster performs well in Bangladesh, it might solve a big problem for them. The cricketing world is desperate to see the 19-year old in action and so here we are having a look at the phenomenal journey of this youngster.
Family roots:
Hameed’s father Ismail Hameed was born in Gujarat, India. He emigrated from Gujarat during his early days as a cricketer and played for Huddersfield Town which was then in the Bolton Association league. By profession, Ismail was a textile worker and then became a driving instructor. He has a huge impact on his son’s career.
Early days in the game:
Hameed started playing cricket from an early age of 8. His father has been his coach since that and still remains heavily involved in his career.
Recalling his childhood days, the youngster said: “Even now I can picture myself in the living room with the TV to my left and my dad sitting on the sofa right in front of me and throwing balls at me.”
Hameed belonged to a family of cricketers. Apart from him and his father, his two elder brothers were also played the game. They represented Tong CC in Bolton.
Hameed has played league cricket for Nantwich of the Cheshire County Premier League, Formby in the Liverpool Competition but he played his junior cricket for Bolton League side Farnworth Social Circle, where he made his first-team debut at the age of 14.
Journey in first-class cricket:
Hameed joined Lancashire’s Academy in 2012. He signed his professional contract with the club in 2015 after a brilliant season in 2014. He made his debut against Glamorgan in August last year. In 19 matches so far, he has managed an impressive 1,411 runs from 31 innings with the help of four centuries. In such a short career, he has already got his name in the record books when he broke Mike Atherton’s record of the youngest Lancashire player to reach 1,000 runs in a season.
He admitted that he was heartbroken after being ignored for England squad for the Under-19 World Cup last December but used it as a motivation to bounce back.