Ben Stokes would have no qualms about picking uncapped teenager Rehan Ahmed for the final Test of England’s series in Pakistan should the conditions call for a wrist spinner.
The 18-year-old was added to the squad after impressing with the England Lions in the United Arab Emirates during the team’s preparation camp for the tour.
Despite having just three first-class appearances under his belt and only making his LV= Insurance County Championship debut for Leicestershire in May, his ability convinced Stokes and Brendon McCullum to include him in the squad.
England captain Stokes praised Ahmed, and could be persuaded to give him a debut cap in England’s final Test in Karachi on Saturday, with the tourists having already sealed victory in the series by winning the opening two matches.
“When we spoke about having Rehan into the squad, it was more than just bringing him in and integrating him into the squad,” Stokes said.
“We did speak about us having no issues with selecting him if we felt it was the right option.
“I don’t think this is a case of, if he was to play, of giving caps away.
“We picked him in the squad, not just because of his talent, but because we thought it would be a good opportunity to play if we thought it was necessary.”
If Ahmed is awarded a debut in Karachi he will become England’s youngest men’s Test cricketer, beating the record held by Brian Close, who was 18 years and 149 days old when he first represented the country in 1949.
Jack Leach is the only other specialist spinner in the squad, although Will Jacks and Joe Root have had significant parts to play with the ball in the first two Tests after Liam Livingstone played a limited role at Rawalpindi before returning home with a knee injury.
Stokes believes there is more to Ahmed than just his bowling and praised his ability with the bat, with the teenager already having a first-class century to his name.
“He loves cricket. I’m struggling to work out what he is, whether he’s a batter or a leg-spinner, which is I guess good, because it shows how much talent he’s got,” said Stokes.
“We got snippets of what he can do with the bat in that warm-up game briefly [when Ahmed hit 26 from 10 balls, including three fours and two sixes].
“Having a wrist-spinner is always exciting, especially for England, but it’s not getting too carried away with the potential that he has, because he is only young and you’ve still got to nurture talent, even how exciting it is.”
