England in command thanks to youngster TEEN IDOL
CRICKET He’s only 19 but Hameed is a natural born winner Sophia so good for Andy
ANYONE worried about the elevation of a teenager to one of the toughest jobs in sport can rest easy.
Haseeb Hameed looks like a natural.
Opening the batting in Test cricket requires a certain skill and temperament, when one false move could signal the end from the very first ball you face.
But Hameed confirmed he has all the skills required as he collected a first Test fifty in front of his cricketmentor dad and family in the stands.
Together with England’s master of the art, Alastair Cook (below), they batted so supremely in the last third of day four against India that the visitors should be the only team able to call the shots on the final day.
Misbehave
By the time the pair walked off with their first hundred partnership under their belts England were 163 runs ahead and in control of the game as the excellent Rajkot pitch started to misbehave a little more.
Adil Rashid made good use of the surface for his 4-114, including the wicket of Virat Kohli for 40 when he trod on his stumps after playing a pull, but it was the young lad dubbed ‘baby Boycott,’ who was the star of the day for England.
A first innings lead of 49 was useful without being overpowering and it meant England had to stand firm second time around to avoid a nasty end to the game and Hameed provided the solidity.
He looked unflustered and calm at the crease against seam and spin, and even hit just the second six of his career when he popped Ravi Jadeja back over his head.
Hameed – known as Baby Boycs – reached his fifty from 94 balls, and arguably looked more at ease in the middle than Cook, certainly to begin with. It had everyone purring about him, including the man he is nicknamed after.
“We were waiting to see how young Hameed did with the batting, after a long time in the field. When it came to it, no problem, it was a piece of cake for him,” said Geoffrey Boycott on Test Match Special.
Brilliantly
“He has done everything, from being able to defend sensibly and then when he has looked to attack he has stroked with precision and timing. He looks a proper player.
“Don’t expect too much from him. I’m praising him but in another match he might get two single figures, but there is something there, he looks as if he can really play.”
It looks as though England might finally have the opener to replace Andrew Strauss, as Hameed became the third youngest player to score a Test fifty for England.
For all the worries about spin, England have played brilliantly and now Hameed has followed Joe Root and Cook, should all English batsmen make their debuts here? NEW father Andy Murray claimed he has reached world No.1 now he is no longer obsessed by tennis.
And the Scot, renowned for his on-court ranting, insisted he is now more “level-headed” and less emotional.
The Wimbledon champion revealed he missed his daughter crawling for the first time this week as he prepared for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at The O2.
Since Sophia was born in February, Murray has reclaimed the Wimbledon and Olympic titles and reached the top of the rankings with four consecutive tournament triumphs.
Murray, who admitted to watching Challenger matches in Uzbekistan on his days off in the past, said: “The thing is, becoming a father has distracted me in a good way. All of my focus isn’t on tennis now, which is a positive.
“Maybe before, tennis was my life and now it isn’t. I still want to do well but when I finished in Paris I wanted to go home and see my family. That’s more important now.
“Maybe my focus is a little bit different but I’m not dwelling on wins and losses as much.
“I feel a lot more level-headed through the year emotionally. I’m not as up and down. My mood isn’t based on: ‘OK, I won a tournament that’s amazing’. And then when I’ve lost, I’m not way down here, either. I just feel a lot more stable.”
While Murray has made giant strides in his career, Sophia has started her baby steps. Murray added: “She just started moving on Thursday. I wasn’t there unfortunately, I was practising. There’s video of it and I saw it this morning for myself. It’s nice.”
JAMIE MURRAY wants to complete a rare family double – by finishing the year as world doubles No.1. The left-hander and his doubles partner Bruno Soares need to triumph at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals which starts today to join brother Andy at the top. “For both of us to finish the year as No.1 in the rankings would be such a unique thing to do,” said Jamie.