Test blow can drive Hameed
HASEEB Hameed will use the disappointment of being left out of the England Test squad as motivation to come back a better player, according to his Lancashire coach Glen Chapple.
So far this year the 20-year-old has struggled to repeat the impressive form of last season which saw him fast-tracked into the side for the tour of India over the winter.
And while there, he was hailed by many as the future of English Test cricket with some mature performances in some of the toughest conditions in the game.
However, this year he has failed to reach 50 in the Specsavers County Championship , a run of form which saw him left out of the squad for the first Test against South Africa
Lancashire began their NatWest T20 Blast campaign at Durham on Friday night – a tournament he won’t be involved in – meaning Hameed won’t be playing first team cricket again until August 6 when the Red Rose return to Championship action at Hampshire.
It may give him time to reflect on his game, but head coach Chapple is certain Hameed will be doing everything he can to ensure he returns to scoring the volume of runs he did last season. And that the former Bolton School pupil will be fired up by his England axing.
“He will probably use it as a motivation,” Chapple said. “He is a very determined young man and it is very early days in his career. He will be very disappointed with the way his season has gone so far. But he will put that to one side and make sure he will get better.
“He will play some second team cricket over the next month and he will want to work on his game and get all the volume of work he can in.
“Knowing Haseeb, he will be in the nets working on what he can to improve, and counting the days down to his next chance to show what he can do.”