White ball now the focus for Hameed
WHILE all his experience has come against the red ball, England and Lancashire batsman Haseeb Hameed is hoping to make his mark in limited-overs cricket this year.
Hameed, who turned 20 this week, is yet to make a senior appearance against the white ball but did impress in the shorter formats in his time with England U19s.
He’s more than made his mark against the red ball though, scoring four Championship hundreds for the Red Rose and two fifties in three Test matches for England. But now he wants to expand his game.
Hameed said:“I’m pretty keen to play white-ball cricket this year, definitely. I’ve never been one to set limits on what you can achieve.
“I don’t see it as setting yourself an unbelievable task to play all three formats. You’ve seen guys like Joe Root doing it successfully. I’m hoping I can continue to develop towards that, and I’m confident I’ve got the game to do that.
“Everyone I’ve spoken to has reassured me that it’s not a case of seeing you as a one format specialist. I’ve not had the chance to sit down with the coaches (at Lancashire) since I’ve been back, but I’m hoping to work hard over the next two or three months to get the chance in the One-Day Cup.”
Hameed broke his finger during England’s tour of India ruling him out of the final two Tests.
And before returning home, he got the chance to speak with Indian star batsman Virat Kohli, who backed the youngster to showcase his talent in all formats.
Hameed added:“That was something that was reassuring from Virat and gave me a lot of confidence.
“He genuinely felt I’ve got the ability to play all three formats, and to hear that from someone who has been unbelievable in all three formats is quite inspiring. Hopefully I can prove that to be the case.”
TCP VERDICT
Given the chance, we can see no reason why Hameed can’t replicate his form with the white ball. Some will question his strike-rate, but remember his century against Yorkshire that came off just 124 balls? He’s got approval from arguably the best batsman in the game, he just needs that chance...