Rehan Ahmed mirrored on a winter that has been a “dream come true” after changing into England’s youngest males’s cricketer throughout all three codecs.
The 18-year-old might have been an sudden choice for December’s Test tour of Pakistan however he was no passenger as his seven-wicket match haul in Karachi helped England seal a well-known 3-0 clear sweep.
He has skilled the opposite aspect of the coin with the limited-overs groups in Bangladesh, dropping in his solely ODI look and two T20s, however the leg-spinning all-rounder didn’t look misplaced.
Ahmed’s solely misstep was dropping a comparatively easy catch at Dhaka as England crumbled to a 3-0 T20 sequence whitewash however even that might not take the sheen off what has been a exceptional previous few months.
“I don’t think even the Test match has sunk in yet,” Ahmed mentioned. “To make my debuts in all three formats in such a short space of time is a dream come true.”
Ahmed has been tipped for greatness ever since claiming the wickets of Sir Alastair Cook and Ben Stokes in a Lord’s web after being invited to bowl to the England Test aspect simply earlier than his twelfth birthday.
Despite his household being cricket-obsessed – with brothers Raheem and Farhan additionally concerned within the county pathway – Ahmed is a product of the T20 era and was initially detached in regards to the red-ball format.
But his mindset has flipped, particularly after witnessing the Test revolution captain Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum are main at shut quarters.
“I used to see it as something that’s a boring game,” he mentioned. “But it’s a long game, it’s the hardest game. Now I see it as the most fun game.
“Test match was the highest level of pressure I’ve ever played in front of. That was a different type of intensity.
“One hundred per cent the joy I got from playing Test match and winning the Test match was unmatched. I don’t know if anything can match that.”
Sharing a dressing room with Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid comes shut. While Kevin Pietersen was his favorite participant, Ahmed and his siblings regarded as much as the veteran spin pair given their shared Pakistan ancestry.
“We always spoke about it: ‘Imagine if you played with Mo or Rash’,” Ahmed mentioned. “And I’ve played with both of them! Whenever they played I made sure I watched, especially when Rash bowled.”
Only James Anderson has extra white-ball wickets for England than Rashid however the Yorkshireman can lay a severe declare to being the nation’s biggest limited-overs bowler given how elementary he was within the ODI and T20 World Cup triumphs.
While they’re each leg-spinners, Ahmed doesn’t essentially see himself because the apprentice to Rashid’s grasp given the variations between them, though {the teenager} readily accepts the 35-year-old is a tricky act to comply with.
“Huge shoes to fill,” Ahmed mentioned. “Even thinking about that puts pressure on me. Rash is his own bowler, he’s done so well for England over so many years, so I could only dream of having half the career he’s had.
“Rash is more a traditional leg-spinner, like a Shane Warne or Stuart MacGill type. Whereas I focus on bowling it a bit quicker, not trying to spin it as much.”
While Ahmed heads again to Leicestershire forward of the beginning of the county season, England have a busy subsequent few months with the Ashes this summer season and the World Cup in India within the autumn.
“I still dream of it,” Ahmed mentioned when requested whether or not he has thought of being concerned in both.
“At the same time I take each day as it comes. If I play then I play but if not then I don’t. The thing is with England cricket, if I don’t play I love watching it.
“Watching England cricket live (in Pakistan) was the best day of my life. I’m sure it’ll be again if I don’t play the Ashes.”