England VS Pakistan: Rehan Ahmed, the rising young star who is being touted as England's next great spinner
The late great Shane Warne was someone who, besides being one of the most magical cricketers the world has ever seen, also had an eye for talent like few others
Teenage leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed added to England squad for Pakistan Test tourWhen he told a 13-year-old leg spinner from England, "I think you could be playing first-class cricket by the age of 15," most felt it wouldn't be shocking if it turned out to be correct.
Well, he wasn't entirely on the money as the spinner in question was Rehan Ahmed – the 18-year-old who's been added to England's squad for the Pakistan Test series.
It might seem like a lot for a young player, but according to England men's director of cricket Rob Key, the plan was always to fast-track the youngster – even if he still has chinks in his armour.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Rehan Ahmed caught Misbah's eye when he was just 11 years old 😲 <a href="https://t.co/5whq7JTJ8u">pic.twitter.com/5whq7JTJ8u</a></p>— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNcricinfo/status/1595832119187542018?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
"The plan for Rehan was that we always looked to bring him into the squad," Key said in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
"This is the best way to aid his development. He is a serious talent, but he might be four or five years off from being the finished product. He is nowhere near the finished article at the moment."
Still, the fact that they have included him in the squad shows an apparent belief in his talent. But why this much fuss for someone who's only just become a full-fledged adult?
Well, for one, he's shown a remarkable pace in his development as a player. Earlier this year, he was a crucial part of England's U-19 World Cup squad.
He was England's second-highest wicket-taker, getting 12 wickets in four matches at an average of 12.58.
Then later in the year, he made his first-class and T20 debut, but it was the latter where he caught the eye.
Playing for Leicestershire in the T20 Blast, he was the leading wicket-taker among all leg-spinners, and suddenly people sat up and took notice.
To make things better, he then impressed for the England Lions in a three-day warm-up game against the England Test squad.
And then, the surprise call to draft him into the Test team was taken, with both captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum impressed by the youngster.
"We know he's not the finished article and has raw potential, but Ben (Stokes), myself and the rest of the coaches like how he approaches his game," Brendon McCullum said on his inclusion.
"The experience of being part of the squad in Pakistan will be hugely beneficial for him, and he will add to the make-up of our squad."
Incidentally, Ben Stokes was also part of Rehan Ahmed's rise to popularity – when he was just 13 years old, he clean-bowled the current England Test captain at Lord's of all places!
Whether or not he lives up to the hype at the international level remains to be seen. But he's been a bright prospect for years and has consistently delivered the goods.
He will have a long career in the sport if he's even half as good as most people think.