England may be in the process of some soul searching after being thoroughly outplayed in the third test match against India. A comprehensive 8 wicket victory leaves England’s best outcome possible being a drawn series. Despite the lacklustre performance by several members of the side in this match, one shining light has come in the form of Haseeb Hameed. The 19 year old fought valiantly and showed tremendous bravery to remain unbeaten in England’s final innings, even with an injured finger. 26 years ago, a young teenager by the name of Sachin Tendulkar made a similar impact at Old Trafford, with a century to save the game.
Although Haseeb could not save the game, he has left an indelible mark on the world of test Cricket.
He will inspire a generation
Nowadays, children throughout England watch T20 cricket and players such as Kevin Pietersen, Chris Gayle are looked as heroes. Their sensational shots out of the ground are revered as something that no one else can do. However, now with Hameed entering the fray, resilience and patience may be the new things children aspire to have. The aggression he showed through a different form during his innings gives us an indication that we are not looking at a one test wonder. His poise and temperament makes us believe that this player is going to be a mainstay in the England test side.
Rather than try to curb expectations, we should embrace the fact that a superstar has been well and truly born.
He has put test cricket on the map again
A lot of debate and conjecture has been made of test cricket’s place in the game since the advent of T20. The success of the shorter format has seen audiences flock to the limited overs games in huge masses, but fewer and fewer are buying a ticket to watch a day’s play of Test cricket.
This has affected every country apart from England, where crowds are still vociferous and plenty. With Hameed making world news in the last few matches, this could be just the kick needed to invigorate test matches again. Youngsters across the world will want to watch cricket in its purest form and see this genius bat with elegance.
Whatever little time he has spent in his cricketing career, Hameed is likely to have made an impact off the field already.
Youngsters are being thrust into test cricket
While Hameed may have made the most significant impact, he is not the only young one making his mark in test cricket. It has been well documented of the difficulties Australia has had in their recent test matches. 5 consecutive defeats to Sri Lanka and South Africa respectively left them in a cloud about how to move forward. Regardless of whether South Africa took their foot off the gas, many youngsters were thrust into the side for the final test match of the series and showed their worth. All of them had a contribution and with Matt Renshaw hitting the winning runs, it just solidified the importance of young players. Hopefully, more sides across the world will be as adventurous and daring when picking youth over experience.
