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Under-19 snub drives Hameed towards ultimate ambition
- Updated: September 16, 2016
It might seem as though we are at the start of the Haseeb Hameed story. We are not. Even journalists who have been covering Lancashire cricket over the last two years were not present when it began.
That occurred, as far as it can be precisely dated, in the living room of a family home in Bolton some 15 years ago, with a four- or five-year-old boy nagging his Dad to bowl at him. Soon he discovered that this bat-and-ball business was all he wanted to do with his life.
It might also seem that Hameed’s career has been one of unblemished success. No, that would be wrong, too. There have been lows in Hameed’s career and one of the many impressive things about the round of interviews he did in the aftermath of his England selection was his willingness to talk about them.
Anyone who has been left out of a side or turned down for a job could learn from this 19-year-old who is willing to share his life experiences and lessons with anyone interested enough to ask. For example, after progressing through Lancashire and England’s junior ranks, he was informed nine months ago that he was not selected for the Under-19 World Cup.
“That was probably the lowest point,” he said “I was expected to go and had put my mind to it, so to be told I wasn’t going was pretty heartbreaking. I remember how low we all felt, me and my family. Breaking the news to them was especially tough.
“But it motivated me and there was a desire in myself to achieve great things because of that. To go to the place where the World Cup was held nine months on with the main England side is incredible. It is pretty surreal.
“I am not going to say I didn’t think about proving people wrong, or making a point, and to go out there and do just that is really pleasing. I had played through all the England age groups, all that was left was for me to play in the Under-19 World Cup, so to not get the nod at the final hurdle hurt a lot. But it motivated me to work harder.”
Even this most articulate …
