TEEN SPINNER EYES TEST DEBUT
Ahmed is part of the England Lions squad and will go to Pakistan as net bowler
ROOKIE leg-spin bowler Rehan Ahmed is ready to make his Test debut, and become England’s youngest ever men’s player, should he get the call up for the series against Pakistan.
The 18-year-old has has played just three first-class games but has been selected in the England Lions squad for a camp in the UAE next month. He will then go to Pakistan as a net bowler.
“In cricket, and in sport, you’re going to have ups and downs so when your time comes, your time comes,” he told PA.
“If it comes now, I have to take it and do my best. My game is in a good place and I’m confident in my red-ball bowling.
“I want to play Test match cricket for England, it’s the pinnacle, my dream since I was young. I say to every captain I play for – I’m always ready. If you want me at the death, if you want me to open the bowling, I’m ready to do it.
“Sometimes it’s all timing. If I’d come up when Adil Rashid was 25 or 26 it would have been a different story but it’s just God’s timing, that kind of thing. I’m humble for it and thankful for it.”
In 2016, at just 11, Ahmed was invited by ex-England international and then MCC head coach Steve Kirby. And he made the most of his opportunity, getting both Ben Stokes and Sir Alastair Cook out to earn himself an invite back the following year.
“As much as I tried to stay calm and bowl to them like normal people, I just couldn’t, because I was bowling to Ben Stokes and Alastair Cook and people with Ashes hundreds, and bowling in the same nets as people with fivefors and Test-match wickets,” Ahmed told ESPNcricinfo earlier this year.
“It was crazy. I bowled Ben Stokes a couple of leg-spinners and a googly and he snicked off; he wasn’t the happiest so I didn’t celebrate… I just took the ball and walked back to my mark.
“But when I snicked off Alastair Cook, that was a bit more like it. He wasn’t as bothered. But I didn’t celebrate because he’s probably the best player in Test cricket. So I was lucky to do that.”
Leicestershire all-rounder played for Southern Brave in this summer’s Hundred and with so much T20 cricket around, the longest form of the game often doesn’t get the limelight.
Ahmed believes Test cricket still remains the pinnacle of the game. “I’ve heard some talk already about being just a whiteball player,” he said.
“I do find white-ball easier, I can bowl into the wicket, but if you play Test match cricket, then you’re good. That’s the thing, the pinnacle. I want to make an impact in Test cricket.”
He will spend the foreseeable future at Leicestershire after signing a new contract recently.
Ahmed said: “I am delighted to extend my contract at the club and can’t wait to represent the Running Foxes again during the summer.
“The past year has been incredible for me. From making my
Leicestershire to debut to playing in a World Cup final, I have learned so much and I am grateful to everyone who has helped me on my journey so far.”
Director of cricket, Claude Henderson, added: “It is exciting to have Rehan onboard... “We want to give him the best opportunity to develop his game and contribute to winning games for Leicestershire. He has shown a first-class attitude, along with the level of skill and hunger we want to be associated with.”