Teenage leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed would not blink if the chance of an England Test debut opened up this winter, insisting: “when your time comes, your time comes”.
The 18-year-old is simultaneously a familiar name and the rawest of rookies – tipped for big things ever since he was invited to net with the national side at the age of just 11, but with just three first-class games for Leicestershire under his belt.
His career path is on a steep trajectory now, though. Already in 2022 he has starred in the Under-19 World Cup, signed for Oval Invincibles in The Hundred and ended his championship season with a pair of significant firsts: a five-wicket haul and a century in the same game against Derbyshire.
Next month he will take part in a training camp in the United Arab Emirates with England Lions, culminating in a three-day warm-up against the senior side, with whom he is likely to join in Pakistan as a travelling reserve.
That places him within touching distance of international cricket, a remarkable rise for someone who made his first-class…
