Ben Stokes would don’t have any qualms about choosing uncapped teenager Rehan Ahmed for the ultimate Test of England’s collection in Pakistan ought to the circumstances name for a wrist spinner.
The 18-year-old Ahmed was added to the squad after impressing with the England Lions within the United Arab Emirates in the course of the staff’s preparation camp for the tour.
Despite having simply three first-class appearances underneath his belt and solely making his County Championship debut for Leicestershire in May, Ahmed’s potential satisfied Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum to incorporate him within the squad.
England captain Stokes praised Ahmed, and should give him a debut cap in England’s ultimate Test in Karachi on Saturday, with the vacationers having already sealed victory within the collection by successful the opening two matches.
“When we spoke about having Rehan into the squad, it was more than just bringing him in and integrating him,” Stokes mentioned.
“We did speak about us having no issues with selecting him if we felt it was the right option.
“We picked him within the squad not simply due to his expertise however as a result of we thought it will be alternative to play if we thought it was needed.”
If Ahmed is awarded a debut in Karachi he will become England’s youngest men’s Test cricketer, beating the record held by Brian Close, who was 18 years and 149 days old when he first represented the country in 1949.
Jack Leach is the only other specialist spinner in the squad, although Will Jacks and Joe Root had significant parts to play with the ball in the first two Tests after Liam Livingstone played a limited role at Rawalpindi before returning home with a knee injury.
Stokes believes there is more to Ahmed than just his bowling and praised his ability with the bat, with the teenager already having a first-class century to his name.
“He loves cricket. I’m struggling to work out what he’s – whether or not he is a batter or a leg-spinner – which is nice, as a result of it reveals how a lot expertise he is received,” Stokes mentioned.
“We received snippets of what he can do with the bat in that warm-up sport briefly (when Ahmed hit 26 from 10 balls, together with three fours and two sixes).
“Having a wrist-spinner is always exciting, especially for England, but it’s not getting too carried away with the potential that he has, because he is only young and you’ve still got to nurture talent, even how exciting it is.”
