England name a new opening batsman for test tour of India, but who is Haseeb Hameed?

It’s a question I’ve been asked more than once today, after England captain Alastair Cook confirmed that young Hameed will open the batting in the first Test against India.

But it’s an understandable query, as – unless you’re a keen follower of the county cricket circuit – it’s likely that the rise of the 19-year-old Lancastrian would have completely passed you by.

Born in Bolton, Hameed took up cricket at the age of eight and soon caught the attention of the Lancashire academy coaches, who watched him progress through the age group sides.

Still a teenager, the past year has seen the right-handed opening batsman go from young prospect to England Test cricketer, with a record-breaking season with his county earning him an England call-up, and his debut confirmed for Wednesday’s opening Test in Rajkot.

It’s fair to say that Hameed is on the defensive side. Nicknamed the “baby Boycott” by some, a more accurate comparison would be with fellow Lancastrian Michael Atherton.

Atherton’s record was the one that Hameed broke when he became the youngest batsman to score 1,000 runs for the county, while his defence-first style of play disguises a natural ability for stroke-play that could emerge given time.

However, that expansive future is some way off, and for now Hameed will rely on his defensive technique to occupy the crease in the sub-continent and try and accumulate enough runs to give England a solid base from which to launch their powerful lower order.

No batsman in either of the county championship divisions faced more deliveries in the most recent season, and it is that quality that could prove useful on a tour in which run rates will not match those that England are used to in their conditions.

In retrospect, England’s selectors should have picked Hameed for the recent two-match series in Bangladesh, rather than hand him a debut in what is likely to be one of the toughest series for England in recent memory.

But it was Hameed’s slow style that put them off. The perceived wisdom is that the start of an innings is the easiest time to bat on sub-continent wickets, so England want to make the most of that run-making opportunity by playing the more aggressive Ben Duckett alongside captain Alastair Cook, leaving Gary Ballance in the middle order to offer ballast during a more difficult time to score.

At least, that was the plan.

A quick-fire 50 in the final innings aside, Duckett found opening the batting tricky and England too often found themselves losing a flurry of wickets, with Cook and number three Joe Root struggling and out-of-form Balance offering virtually nothing at number four.

Collapse like that in India and England will be in for an embarrassing series, so the selectors have decided to go for stability at the top of the order, move Duckett down to his more natural position at number four, and hope that the length and power of their batting order from three down will be able to speed up the game if that is required.

It’s the right call, but whether it will be enough to give England a chance in the series remains to be seen. However, for Hameed, this could be the start of a bright and lengthy international career.