Hameed in a Pursuit for Greatness

 

Nick Howason The Cricketer

Haseeb Hameed has spoken of the mental resolve he was forced to show to get his cricket career back on track.

He made three Test appearances in India as England's fifth-youngest player in 2016, but since his tour was curtailed by a broken finger his fortunes have unravelled.

Across the three subsequent seasons, he averaged 21.31 in first-class cricket.

From once being heralded as the future of the country's top order, Hameed was suddenly at risk of becoming a spent force before his career had begun.

Hameed was released by Lancashire and picked up by Nottinghamshire where he played five Bob Willis Trophy matches in a truncated maiden season in 2020, during which he recaptured a degree of confidence while scoring 272 runs at 38.85.

Those results are a testament to how deep the 23-year-old has been forced to dig in recent years. Helped by Peter Moores, Hameed appears to be on the straight and narrow, a direction of travel preceded by some soul searching.

"I’d say it was very tough. Looking at it from a logical point of view to have had the success I’ve had to then have what followed, it hit quite hard," he said.

"One thing I’ve prided myself on from a young age is my best years were after my worst years. As a 15-year–old I won Player of the Year trophy at Lancs, three awards at the Bunbury Festival and selection in the England development programme came after a year, when 14, I had the worst year of junior career. 

"I then looked at not being selected for the U19 World Cup but a year later, I was playing for England in Bangladesh in the senior team. That stuck with me. That tells me I’ve something deep down that won’t let me stop. Of course, you have doubts. 

"I didn’t think about walking away from the game. That’s when you need something within you, deep down, to stop you giving in and try one more time. That mental resilience has been quite good for me.

He added: "Look at those who have achieved great things in life and in sport. These things don’t happen without setbacks and real slumps. The ones that achieve more are the ones who have had the biggest slumps and bigger downfalls. 

"To say those four years have been easy would not be true. It was very difficult. But I still want to push. I’m still clear what I want to achieve and having the confidence I will get there.

Part of that rehabilitation has included recapturing enjoyment for the sport. While the scrutiny from the Lancashire support or the close-knit community did not impact on his enjoyment of life at Emirates Old Trafford, the opportunity to play alongside like-minded young players with future international ambitions at Trent Bridge is certainly the filip his confidence needed.

"That became quite a focus as well, enjoying batting again, enjoying being with my teammates and all those different things," added the Bolton-born right-hander.

"This environment is brilliant for that. It’s a lovely mix of younger lads who are extremely ambitious - (Joe) Clarke, (Ben) Duckett, (Tom) Moores, (Zak) Chappell - they are guys who are extremely talented and all four of them have had England Lions experience and have ambition at the highest level.

"To have that mix with the older guys who have been around the club for a long time is brilliant. Hopefully, we can gel together to do special things for Notts in the future."

What separates Hameed from many of his peers of a similar age - even Duckett who has made eight international appearances including two alongside his county teammate in India - is a successful spell in Test cricket ended cruelly by injury.

At 23, with nearly 80 senior appearances behind him, he is an old head on young shoulders. "I don't know how many games I've played now actually but within those games, there has been a number of different experiences as well," he outlined. "Different roles I've had to play as well. Coming from the academy as a young boy in the setup to then have people looking at you as more of a senior player in the XI. Little things like that give different experiences.

"I look at it as a positive that I've had those experiences young. There have been a lot of successful players who have broken into the international scene like I have done and hopefully those experiences will help me going forwards."

Success for 22-year-olds Ollie Pope, Zak Crawley and Sam Curran, and Dom Sibley at 24 means there is more than enough time available to resume his England Test career.

"I’m going to be 24 next year. For me, I’ve got to the stage now where I understand my game a lot more now. It’s less a case of looking for answers elsewhere, but knowing I have them within me and developing them in a way I can show that consistently. I’m excited for what the future holds."

Among those undoubtedly willing Hameed to return to the England fold will be Virat Kohli, who hailed his character in batting in the third Test in Mohali with the broken finger which ended his tour. The pair spent a period together when Hameed learned he was to return home to undergo surgery, adding to the dreamlike experience.

"Obviously someone like Virat coming out and saying that gives you a lot of confidence," he admitted. "He’s a massive inspiration, someone I’ve looked up to. What inspires me is he’s very open about the downfalls he’s had in his career. 

"He speaks very openly about his pre-fitness days, how his diet wasn’t as good as it should have been, having late nights, just being quite normal about it. He’s a great inspiration to look at and see what you can achieve if you put your mind to it and have discipline. It helped me, definitely."