Rehan Ahmed, who has been warming the benches until now, might make his debut against Pakistan as England try to sweep the test series 3-0.
Ahmed, an 18-year-old all-around legspinner, would make his debut for the men’s squad as the youngest player ever if he is drafted into the playing eleven for the third test. He was added to the team during the pre-tour training in Abu Dhabi. While he hasn’t participated directly in the first two Tests, he has served as a regular substitute fielder, particularly in the Rawalpindi Test after Liam Livingstone sustained a tour-ending knee injury.
Ahmed is the only wrist spinner in the team due to Livingstone’s injury. At Karachi’s National Stadium on Thursday, he and the other alternates resumed their work in the nets while those who took part in the 26-run victory in Multan were given the day off to relax or play golf.
Test captain Ben Stokes confirmed Ahmed was being seriously considered for the final game of 2022 during a press conference on Thursday morning at the team hotel.
Ben Foakes is anticipated to return behind the wickets in Karachi, allowing Ollie Pope to concentrate on batting at No. 3, but Stokes reiterated that awarding Ahmed his maiden cap would be based on performance.
“We’ve been thinking about it. We can’t go into too much detail until me and Baz [Brendon McCullum] have had a look at the wicket. When we spoke about having Rehan into the squad, it was more than just bringing him in and integrating him into the squad. We did speak about us having no issues with selecting him if we felt it was the right option. I don’t think this is a case of, if he was to play, of giving caps away. We picked him in the squad not just because of his talent, but because we thought it would be a good opportunity to play if we thought it was necessary,” said Stokes as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
Ahmed’s groundbreaking year would be capped off with his first international appearance. In February, when England finished second to India in the Under-19 World Cup, it all started with 12 wickets. He made his first-class debut in Division Two of the County Championship in May, and he finished the summer against Derbyshire with his first five-wicket haul and century. He played five games for Southern Brave in the Hundred between stints practising with England’s white-ball teams during their series with South Africa and India.
Although Ahmed was added at the last minute, his inclusion in the 15-man team for this is Pakistan’s first series since 2005 was not unexpected. Two key takeaways from the prospect’s initial selection meeting were that it was crucial to protect Ahmed from outside pressure, especially from the media, and that head coach McCullum wanted to see and work with Ahmed first before bringing him on tour.
Ahmed had that chance at the training camp, and McCullum was appropriately impressed by both his talent and attitude. In the England versus England Lions warm-up game, he did not have the finest time bowling, giving up 73 runs in eight wicketless overs, but he still showed some of his fortitude with the bat as he smashed 26 from 10 deliveries for the team. (ANI)
This report is filed by ANI news service. TheNewsMill holds no responsibility for this content.
