England Cricket 2021 (excluding Ashes)

Haseeb Hameed was too good not to come again. You cannot play with such skill and composure in a Test match as a teenager, as Hameed did in India nearly five years ago, and not come again. As my old England captain, Graham Gooch, was always so fond of saying: you don’t lose your ability but sometimes you lose faith in it.

Amid the somewhat chaotic news of England’s selection travails — Ben Foakes’s unfortunate slip on the dressing room floor means his long-awaited debut at home has been put, literally, on ice — by far the best news was Hameed’s call-up again. Who could not be overjoyed for a young man, 24 years old now, who has known the very heights and depths that sport has to offer in such a short space of time?

He is unlikely to play. James Bracey will keep wicket and Hameed is there as cover for a top-order injury. Even then, in the event of, say, Dom Sibley suffering a recurrence of his finger injury, Bracey could move up the order and Sam Billings take the gloves. Nevertheless, Hameed knows now he is in the selectors’ thoughts again and he stands fifth in line for a permanent top-three slot behind Rory Burns, Zak Crawley, Sibley and Bracey.

For a man released by his home county, Lancashire, two years ago, that is a significant advance. His form, too, is unrecognisable from the nadir of 2018, when he averaged 9.44 in 18 innings. This year, there have been two hundreds, both in the same game, and two more fifties, and he averages a tick over 50, showing the kind of productivity that encouraged the England selectors to take a chance on a teenager in the first place.

What has changed? The move away to Nottinghamshire has clearly helped. Sometimes, through no fault of club or player, a change of scenery is necessary. Hameed’s bad luck with finger injuries — three separate surgeries required — and his loss of form led to three poor summers in succession at Lancashire. The club never lost faith but they did lose patience, and the move suited both parties since it allowed Hameed space to grow and breathe through his new-found independence.

Hameed is not happier than when in the nets hitting balls and that work ethic chimes perfectly with the outlook of Nottinghamshire’s coach, Peter Moores, the most enthusiastic of cricket men. And after some thin times, Nottinghamshire appear as though they may be in the midst of a revival, through some young, talented and ambitious imported batsmen, such as Joe Clarke and Ben Duckett, alongside Hameed.

Gradually, some glimpses of form returned in his first year at Trent Bridge during the truncated summer of 2020, and with that came a little freedom in his play again. Year after struggling year at Lancashire had resulted in a player constantly tinkering with his method to find the magic again, to the point where he had almost forgotten what felt natural and instinctive. He had become hell-bent on survival, rather than thinking about scoring runs and, consequently, the flow and rhythm so apparent in India in 2016 had disappeared.

He has also made a beneficial technical change. Like so many top-order players in county cricket right now, worried as they are about the movement of the Dukes balls and soft, seamer-friendly wickets, Hameed had moved his guard towards off stump, with the counterproductive consequence that he was forced to play around his front pad and hip, thus coming across the line of the ball. Having moved his guard slightly back towards middle stump again — to a more orthodox stance, in other words — he has found he can play beside the line of the ball again and his bat has a clear path to it.

It is an older, wiser Hameed who will join up with England after Nottinghamshire’s Championship match against Warwickshire. He looks different, too, with long hair and a pony tail, and he carries new-found responsibility as vice-captain of his club. But that boyish enthusiasm for batting has not been lost: a new club, a fresh start and runs flowing, he is enjoying his cricket again. You don’t lose your ability, but the game is a beast and it can force you to lose faith in it. It is good to see him back.