Haseeb is more of an old school player than your modern breed: Ian Bell

Teenager Haseeb Hameed hasn’t taken much long to impress the current and former cricketer with his sturdy batting technique and temperament he has shown so far in the series against India. Right from the first inning he played at Rajkot in front of his family, Hameed has grabbed the eyeballs. Hameed has been very impressive in the series so far with scores of 31, 83, 13 and 25 in his last four Test innings against India. The cricketing fraternity has kept a close watch on his young sensation since then.

The latest admirer of the Lancashire batsman is England’s former batting mainstay Ian Bell. Bell, who last represented England in 2015 showed his admiration for Haseeb Hameed and claimed that the board needed to be careful with him.

“He looks like a Test cricketer,” he said during an interview with BBC.

“He’s more of an old school player than your modern breed – very well organised. You need this type of cricketer, who can get in his bubble and bat through long periods,” he added.

Bell went on to say that the youngster shouldn’t be put under pressure. He said, “But I feel for him as I don’t want everyone to suddenly pin all their hopes on a 19-year-old.”

“Having been through that process as a young England batsman myself, I know he’s going to learn a lot along the way. He’s going to fail sometimes and he’s going to have some good days,” he added.

He  stated that the board should be looking to give him a long run if they were to find success. “We’ve got to stick with him and allow him to build his career in that environment. I hope they give him a run and that he can stay there for a long period of time,” he said.

He also went on to state that the English batsmen should look to be patient in the series and not look to overdo things. He said, “You have to remember that India  very good at home. It’s a tough tour when you go to the sub-continent. It’s not the easiest tour, even for experienced teams. We’ve seen Australia lose there and South Africa recently.”

England are currently playing against the Indians in the third of the five-match Test series at Mohali and are 1-0 down in the series.