Rehan Ahmed has right ‘temperament’ as teenager takes two wickets on England Test debut | Cricket News

Michael Atherton heaped praise on the temperament of England’s teenage debutant Rehan Ahmed, who starred on his first Test outing.

Nasser Hussain and Mark Butcher, meanwhile, applauded captain Ben Stokes’ approach for not allowing Ahmed to ‘hide away’ in the field after a nervy first spell with the ball against Pakistan.

With the series wrapped up, 18-year-old Ahmed was called up to the squad after impressing during the camp in Abu Dhabi and was given the nod by Stokes and Brendan McCullum for the final Test as he replaced the experienced James Anderson.

In making his debut, Ahmed became the youngest-ever player to play for England’s Test side and is 23 days younger than Brian Close, who made his test debut against New Zealand at Manchester in 1949 at the age of 18 years, 149 days.

He first attracted attention at just 11 when he dismissed Stokes and Alastair Cook in the nets having been invited to bowl at a training session for the national team, and had received high praise from Australian legend Shane Warne, who told Ahmed that he would play a professional match at 15.

While he is a few years older than the 15 Warne had predicted, Ahmed impressed in his 22 overs having been handed his cap by former England captain Nasser Hussain.

Teenager bounces back after nervy first spell

Understandably so, the Leicestershire all-rounder showed signs of nerves during his first spell before lunch.

In five overs, he went for 37 runs at 7.4 an over, a disappointing return. Ahmed showcased his variations but regularly missed his line and length, as Pakistan looked to capitalise on his inexperience and regularly found the boundary.

Ahmed himself admitted at stumps that he “rushed” a bit in his first spell but Stokes kept faith in him, and he repaid his captain’s support after lunch.

In a brilliant spell, the wrist spinner deceived Pakistan’s middle order with his variations, finishing with figures of 2-89.

His first Test wicket summed up why England have called on him.

Ahmed set up Saud Shakeel with a lovely googly that just beat the outside edge, and he followed it up with a superb off-break.

The dangerous Shakeel, who has been one of Pakistan’s standout performers this series, edged it in the air off his pad and Ollie Pope took a great one-handed catch lunching forward at short leg.

In a lovely moment, his dad, who has been following the England team on this tour, was beaming as his son celebrated his first-ever Test wicket.

That over and dismissal gave Ahmed huge amounts of confidence and after struggling in the first session, he looked like England’s best hope of taking further wickets.

Ahmed regularly beat the edge with his googly. He went close with one that missed Salman’s edge by millimetres but was rewarded with his second wicket when he snared Ashraf lbw coming around the wicket to the left-hander.

In taking his second wicket, Ahmed became the first leg spinner to take two wickets in a first innings since Ian Salisbury against Pakistan in 1992.

Ahmed has the temperament for Test cricket

Before he took his wicket, a graphic showed how difficult it is for batters to pick his variations, with little to no discrepancy between his stock ball and the googly.

During the tea break, Hussain, Butcher and Stuart Broad heaped praise on the teenager.

“At lunch, I would have sat down with him and said get the batters playing on the front foot. That’s what he changed in that session, he got his lengths better,” Hussain said.

Broad said the environment fostered under Stokes and McCullum is the perfect place for a young spinner to flourish.

“Leg spinners can offer such variety. The bowling deserves a lot of credit. With Brendan and Stoksey, the mindset is nothing about run rate and as a young leg spinner, imagine what a mindset that is,” he said.

“He wouldn’t have felt judged or under pressure, all they are saying is get us that one wicket to open the game up for us. The mindset played beautifully into his hands.”

At stumps, Atherton felt that Ahmed came into the match with the right temperament and that allowed him to settle quickly.

“We can all imagine what he was feeling at the end of his mark, but he quickly settled and got better through the day. He has a very natural googly. He turns it so much it becomes a threat from around the wicket,” he said.

“What he will have to work on, as he gets older and better, is to get that leg spinner going. That’s what he’s been working on with Jeetan Patel when he hasn’t been playing. Temperament is the big thing, and he looks temperamentally sound.”

Stokes gave Ahmed ‘confidence’

Both Hussain and Butcher praised how Stokes dealt with Ahmed after a disappointing first session. Butcher said Stokes didn’t “hide him away in the field,” while Hussain said Stokes gave him confidence with his fields.

“I thought it was different from Stokes in the captaincy we have seen. He put defensive fields, rightly, for a youngster. He defends with the fields with Rehan and attacks with the ball,” Hussain said.

“He knows his spinner will eventually get it right. He gave him some confidence by having men out on both sides. Stokes handled him really well.”

Butcher added: “Even though in the first session he went for seven (runs an over), Ben didn’t hide him away in the field. He brought him back again and when he managed to find his length, a short leg was there. He has handled him perfectly.”

A ‘proud’ moment for Ahmed family

Ahmed’s dad, Naeem, has been with the England side through the tour and was in the circle when his son was handed his cap by Hussain.

Ahmed comes from a cricketing family. Both of his brothers play cricket, and his dad was a fast-bowling all-rounder in Pakistan before moving to the UK.

Hussain recalled when his dad came to watch him play in Chennai and said it would have been a “great moment” for his family.

As the youngster toiled on his debut in his first spell, Naeem watched on and was off his feet when Ahmed took his first wicket in Test cricket.

Naeem said his son bowls better when he is “relaxed”.

“I was sitting there very quietly just watching him bowl and wanting to enjoy the moment when he took his first wicket,” he said.

“I just wanted him to be a bit more relaxed when he bowled, and as soon as he relaxed it happened.

“The more relaxed he is then the more the wrist is going to work and the better the ball is going to come out, and when he got the wicket that was the most relaxed he had been all day.

“It was a nice wicket, a really proud moment, and I really enjoyed it. The googly first and then the leg spinner. I had to get out of my seat, I was so happy.”

England will be happy with their day’s work and Ahmed’s beaming smile throughout the second and third sessions indicates that he will be satisfied with his first experience in England whites.

He showed his inexperience at times, but also showed glimpses of why he is so highly rated. England will hope Ahmed can have a long Test career, and at the moment they have a very bright diamond who Stokes and co will hope can become the lynchpin of England’s bowling attack.

The spinner will hope to continue the momentum for the rest of the Test, as England look to secure a 3-0 series whitewash in Pakistan.

Watch day two of the final Test live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket from 4.30am on Sunday.