Lancashire teenager in Test frame
Coach Trevor Bayliss has confirmed England may be about to replace Alex Hales as Alastair Cook’s latest opening partner for this winter’s Test series in Bangladesh and India.
Hales hit a new England record one-day international score of 171 on his home ground Trent Bridge against Pakistan last week.
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Hide AdYet he has failed to convince in his maiden Test summer and ended the series against Pakistan on a low and fractious note at The Oval, where Hales was fined for remonstrating with the TV umpire.
Now Hameed is in the frame as the quest goes on for a successful candidate to fill the role vacated by Andrew Strauss four years ago.
Hameed, who has been prolific in a breakthrough summer at the age of 19, would be the ninth choice to date - and Bayliss will not be ruling him out on the grounds of age alone.
Asked if another change at the top of the order may be in the offing when England name their squad, he said: “Possibly.
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Hide Ad“There have been some young players making some runs, who are coming into calculations - which is very exciting.
“That’s obviously one of the talking points around the selection table.”
Hameed currently has 1,129 runs in Specsavers Division One this summer, with four hundreds at an average of almost 54.
Bayliss said: “If he’s good enough, he’s old enough.
“I wouldn’t have any problem (picking him).”