© JOHN MALLETT Rehan Ahmed together with his folks - JOHN MALLETT For Rehan Ahmed, the subsequent two months symbolize a voyage of cricketing discovery on which anything else could happen.
next Sunday he flies to Dubai with England Lions, after which he's set to join the senior squad as a net bowler in Pakistan, the land of his father – who passed on a love of the game to Rehan and his two brothers. fitting England's youngest test debutant is not inconceivable.
A breezy half-hour in Ahmed's company confirms one issue: English cricket's brightest young starlet aren't remotely fazed by anything the tour throws at him. apart from one adult, perhaps. "James Anderson is going to be on the tour, in order that's simply intellectual," he laughs. "He's played international cricket longer than I've been alive! It's loopy."
Anderson, who made his England debut in 2003, will trip with the Lions to prepare for the Pakistan tour and Ahmed, born in August 2004, is appropriate.
definitely, on the 2nd day of Anderson's look at various debut, Ahmed's older brother, Raheem, became born. he's a left-arm seamer who performed for Leicestershire seconds in 2021 but has been injured for the last 12 months. four years after Rehan, in February 2008, Farhan became born. he's an off-spinning all-rounder already enjoying for Nottinghamshire seconds at simply 14. That follows Rehan's surprising route; he bowled at England in the nets when he become simply 11.
© offered through The Telegraph Raheem Ahmed and Farhan Ahmed and household - John Mallett Rehan fees Raheem because the better of the three. "He's very respectable," he says. "I'm now not just saying it, because I'd under no circumstances say it in entrance of him, but he's in reality fairly respectable – better than he thinks he's, anyway."
What about Farhan? "He's doing smartly, but when i was his age i was batting and bowling [whereas he is in the team as a bowler]," he jokes. "Nah, he's a correct cricketer. playing 2d crew at 14 is an success in itself, particularly as an off-spinner. He's an outstanding batter as smartly."
Ahmed noted this week that he took up leg-spin because it is cricket's hardest craft. Why, then, did he enable Farhan to take up off-spin?
"I don't know," he says. "however you don't need two leg-spinners within the identical crew. If we wish to play for England, we're going to need to do two different things.
"we now have all had goals about all three of us playing."
In time, you feel, English cricket may have fairly lots for which to thank Naeem Ahmed and his wife Musrat Hussain. Having played cricket in Pakistan, Naeem came to England from Mirpur – not removed from Islamabad – to "work and help household again domestic".
"He's a taxi driver," says Rehan. "He'd work long hours in the nights after which take us to video games within the morning. He sacrificed a lot, as well as my mum. My mum has been at the back of us the entire time, at home. It's like a partnership.
"[Dad] couldn't definitely play cricket when he wanted to. For him, he wanted his sons to do it. There changed into under no circumstances a compelled aspect, like 'you have to do it'. It was at all times in case you desired to. We simply fell in love with the video game."
© supplied by way of The Telegraph Rehan Ahmed with his dad - John Mallett 'Cricket is the best thing ever' Rehan's passion for cricket is so deep and infectious – he jokes that it is "the only issue he's interested in in existence" and that it is "no longer viable to move a day with out settling on up a bat or ball" – that coaches are having to persuade him to coach less. And he's so certain of himself that he persuaded his Leicestershire coaches to advertise him to No 5 in barely his third first-classification online game, and duly scored a maiden century, to follow up first five-wicket haul.
Are the leisure of the family unit as into the online game? "I'm no longer certain they're as obsessed however i know they all really like cricket," Rehan laughs. "I think I'm simply a bit weird.
"I just not ever get unwell of it, truly. Even on a nasty day, I'm like, so what? I simply retain shadow-batting. I hold pondering in regards to the online game. people say occasionally it might get you mentally drained, as an awful lot as I are attempting to not feel of it, I simply retain pondering of it. I just suppose it's the neatest thing ever. I don't actually suppose of reviews, movies, the rest like that. It's just cricket.
"within the Hundred, Mahela [Jayawardene, his coach at Southern Brave] saw I'd be practicing each day and turned into like 'seem, you need to now not play. You're no longer allowed to teach today.' but I found a way… they might instruct all over the day, so I'd go to the indoor centre at 7pm, once they have been out."
it is little shock, given his obsession, that Ahmed's goal is to be "a proper all-rounder". before every online game at Leicestershire this year, he would remind coach Paul Nixon and director of cricket Claude Henderson "I'm a batsman, you be aware of"; towards Derbyshire, in the final game of the season, they relented, and he scored a rushing century.
"I've at all times considered myself as more of a batsman to be honest, in an effort to get a hundred became pleasurable," he says. "I want to be a proper all-rounder. somebody who contributes with bat and ball."
He performs the identical trick with captains. "I at all times make sure my arm is popping circular when I look on the captain, only for somewhat of a touch," he says. "I tell the captain i am able to bowl in any condition, even if or not it's the worst time to bowl or the highest quality time."
© provided via The Telegraph Rehan Ahmed bowling - Nigel Parker/Alamy 'it will mean the realm to characterize England in Pakistan' Ahmed's 122 towards Derbyshire got here in exactly 113 balls, and you feel Brendon McCullum would love his attitude to batting, too: "you are going to all the time get a ball together with your identify on it so it's trying to make the most of it, especially against spinners".
Unsurprisingly, Ahmed watched a variety of McCullum's team in motion this 12 months. "I even have at all times made sure I even have time to watch cricket," he says. "I've watched many of the test fits this summer, it's been very entertaining. It's not reckless, just a very fun approach to play cricket." And did it make him wish to be involved? "one hundred per cent."
a trip to Pakistan could be more particular for Ahmed than many of his team-mates.
"we have household there, so I've been just a few instances, to Islamabad, Lahore, Multan," he says. "anytime I've been, it's all the time been exquisite. the manner they look after you there is crazy. each time I've been there, I'll go to the stadium that's close my condominium and educate, and you'll have a load of bowlers able to bowl to you and a load of batters able to bat against you. It's a great region.
"it might suggest the world to signify England in Pakistan. it would be first rate."
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