Disappointing to leave the tour in this fashion: Haseeb Hameed

19-year-old Haseeb Hameed grabbed the limelight with his performance for Lancashire in the County season and for his sound technique with the bat. When the England team for the tour of India was to be announced a lot of people expected his inclusion and here he was in Rajkot making his Test debut on the soil he has a relation with.

From the very moment, he walked into the middle it was evident that he belongs here. Hameed’s batting class, temperament, commitment, determination and the approach ticked all boxes to be a successful Test cricketer. In the six innings he played in India he scored a couple of half centuries but more than the runs that he scored the comfort with which he played soothed the English concerns.

But just as he looked to capitalize having settled into it, he was hurt bad, his finger sustained a fracture which wouldn’t heal and required surgical intervention to get back in shape. Hameed is thus forced to fly back home and will not take part in the last two Tests.

As he leaves India he posted a couple of tweets expressing his disappointment but was also enthralled by the experience he had. Haseeb Hameed wrote, “Disappointing to leave the tour in this fashion but it’s been another incredible experience. Thank you to both sets of fans for the support.”

He also added, “Will be watching with great interest knowing the lads will be giving it their all to level this series. See you all soon!”

Earlier England batting stalwart Joe Root advised him to get fit and play county cricket once again and make it count. “The only advice I gave was, make sure you don’t go back to county cricket at the start of the summer and rest on your laurels,” Root said. “Don’t think: I’m a Test cricketer now.

“It’s an opportunity to prove to everyone in county cricket that you are there for a reason. You have opportunities to make some really big scores, to keep learning and to keep improving. He has the opportunity to put the good work he has done in India into his game and continue to develop the way he has done.”

Hameed immediately received support from his followers:

https://twitter.com/Luke_Lambourne/status/804622378135384065