Who is Haseeb Hameed? What you need to know about the teenage opener making his England debut vs India
HASEEB HAMEED will become the youngest debutant to open the batting for England when Alastair Cook's side take on India tomorrow.
The Lancashire prodigy is just the second teenager to represent his country since 1949, with Ben Hollioake the other against Australia in 1997.
Here, SunSport profiles the youngster ahead of tomorrow's huge Test.
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Despite his tender years, Bolton-born Hameed, 19, has already been compared to Geoff Boycott thanks to his mature, unhurried style.
Hameed will not be accused of giving his wicket away and loves nothing more than batting all day..
The right-hander has already amassed 1,129 runs in Division One this summer at an average of almost 54, scoring four centuries in the process.
His haul - which came at a strike rate of below 40 to earn him the 'Bolton Blocker' nickname - broke Mike Atherton's record as the highest scoring Country Championship debutant.
Dad Ismail emigrated to England from Gujarat in Western India and played for Huddersfield Town in the Bolton Assocation league.
His Boycott-inspired approach was adopted by his son who has been taught by him since he was eight.
Hameed - who counts Sachin Tendulkar and Joe Root among his inspirations - joined Lancashire’s Academy and Scholarship programme in 2012 and graduated with the award of a professional contract for 2015.
Over the winter, Hameed was rewarded with a four-year deal.
Head coach Ashley Giles suggested it would be four years before the youngster would be ready for Test cricket. But his performances this summer have changed his mind.
He said: “At 19-years-old, he has a huge amount of maturity, he knows his game and loves his batting. Even when he’s not playing that well, he comes through and finds a way."
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In March 2015, Hameed - along with fellow Lancashire youngsters Matthew Parkinson and Saqib Mahmood - were treated to a masterclass by England skipper Cook.
At the time, he commented: “It’s the first time I’ve met him, and to be honest one of the things that struck me most was how different he was from how he’s perceived.
"You think he’s quite a reserved kind of guy and he’s obviously had a lot to deal with in the last year, but the biggest impression was how good a bloke he is.
"For me as a batsman, the way he spoke about his cricket and related it was very helpful.”
And less than two years later, Hameed will be hoping to treat Cook to a batting masterclass of his own against the world's No1 Test side.