Rashid praises calm Hameed

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England leg spinner Adil Rashid has lauded the calmness of teenaged opener Haseeb Hameed after the youngster scored his maiden Test fifty against India.

Hameed reached 62 before the close of play as England extended their lead to 163 with a day to play in the first Test in Rajkot.

Hameed became only the third English player to score a Test fifty before his twentieth and already looks the part of a test opener.

England have struggled to find a permanent opening partner for Alastair Cook Since the retirement of Andrew Strauss but their search could just be over.

Haseeb Hameed

Rashid said: “He’s been very good.

“He’s got a good head, he’s a clever and solid boy, works hard in the nets and he’s a great talent. He showed that today and hopefully he can carry that on tomorrow.

“He’s very calm, he’s very organised cricketer as well and he’s got a good sense of humour. I think he’s fitted very well into the dressing-room and hopefully he can carry that on for many more years to come.”

Rashid has come up against Hameed in the County Championship with the youngster cracking centuries in both innings for Lancashire against Yorkshire this August.

Haseeb Hameed

Of that encounter Rashid said: “I first saw him play then.

“He played seam exceptionally well and also spin too, using his feet. So I wasn’t surprised at all how he came out and played here. He works hard, is very clued up and to see him get the runs here is a good feeling.”

The first Test appears to be headed for a draw but Rashid insists both teams still have everything to play for.

The tweaker said: “All results are possible, there’s a lot of cricket to be played.

“Firstly we’ve got to come out, get the runs on the board and see where we are at lunchtime. If we’re in a good position we might just carry on batting and then have a little bowl and see what happens.”

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