Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed will become the youngest man to play Test
cricket for England after being handed a debut in the third Test
against Pakistan.

The 18-year-old breaks the record of legendary Yorkshire batter Brian
Close, which has stood since 1949.

Ahmed and wicketkeeper Ben Foakes come into the side in Karachi in
place of pace bowler James Anderson and all-rounder Will Jacks.

England have already won the series and are looking for a 3-0 clean
sweep.

No visiting team has ever beaten Pakistan 3-0 in their country, while
England have only ever earned three previous clean sweeps in away Test
series of three matches or more.

Leicestershire's Ahmed will be aged 18 years and 126 days when the
Test begins on Saturday. Former captain Close was 18 years and 149
days when he played against New Zealand at Old Trafford 73 years ago.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/63987852

On Friday, December 16, 2022 at 8:35:50 AM UTC, max.it wrote:
> Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed will become the youngest man to play Test
> cricket for England after being handed a debut in the third Test
> against Pakistan.

And he has justified his selection because....RH
>
> The 18-year-old breaks the record of legendary Yorkshire batter Brian
> Close,

Allrounder bowling pace and ofspin RH

which has stood since 1949.

Jack (JN) Crawford was the youngest until Close passed him
>
> Ahmed and wicketkeeper Ben Foakes come into the side in Karachi in
> place of pace bowler James Anderson and all-rounder Will Jacks.

Despite Jacks taking 6 wickets in his first Test bow and and scoring very useful runs
>
RH

On Fri, 16 Dec 2022 08:35:41 +0000, max.it <max@tea.time> wrote:

>
>Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed will become the youngest man to play Test
>cricket for England after being handed a debut in the third Test
>against Pakistan.
>
>The 18-year-old breaks the record of legendary Yorkshire batter Brian
>Close, which has stood since 1949.
>
>Ahmed and wicketkeeper Ben Foakes come into the side in Karachi in
>place of pace bowler James Anderson and all-rounder Will Jacks.
>
>England have already won the series and are looking for a 3-0 clean
>sweep.

I'm pretty sure this was always plan A. The nonsense about promoting
him from net bowler to full squad member was later revealed as a ploy.
He was always in the full squad, but Rob Key didn't want him to be the
juicy nugget for the press to obsess over when the squad was
announced.

If they could so arrange it that Ahmed could make his debut in a match
where there is no pressure at all, then that would be ideal - and so
it has proved. They think Ahmed is something rather special and are
taking extraordinary care of his development. Time will tell whether
they are right.

Cheers,

Mike

In message <eab71d5c-91e7-4218-9b7e-b62903aeecdan@googlegroups.com>,
Robert Henderson <anywhere156@gmail.com> writes
>On Friday, December 16, 2022 at 8:35:50 AM UTC, max.it wrote:
>> Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed will become the youngest man to play Test
>> cricket for England after being handed a debut in the third Test
>> against Pakistan.
>
>And he has justified his selection because....RH

Not every 18-year-old scores a century and take 5 wickets in an innings
in their third f-c match. Also since joining the squad he has seemingly
greatly impressed Stokes and McClellan - and just about every else apart
from you. Apparently he's been bowling at the England Test team in the
nets since the age of 12.

>>
>> The 18-year-old breaks the record of legendary Yorkshire batter Brian
>> Close,
>
>Allrounder bowling pace and ofspin RH
>
>which has stood since 1949.
>
>Jack (JN) Crawford was the youngest until Close passed him
>>
>> Ahmed and wicketkeeper Ben Foakes come into the side in Karachi in
>> place of pace bowler James Anderson and all-rounder Will Jacks.
>
> Despite Jacks taking 6 wickets in his first Test bow and and
>scoring very useful runs
>>
>RH

I'm a great admirer of Jacks, but he did very little in the second Test.
His off-spin is clearly still a "work in progress".
--
John Hall "Do you have cornflakes in America?"
"Well, actually, they're American."
"So what brings you to Britain then if you have cornflakes already?"
Bill Bryson: "Notes from a Small Island"

On Fri, 16 Dec 2022 10:51:25 +0000, John Hall
<john_nospam@jhall.co.uk> wrote:

>In message <eab71d5c-91e7-4218-9b7e-b62903aeecdan@googlegroups.com>,
>Robert Henderson <anywhere156@gmail.com> writes
>>On Friday, December 16, 2022 at 8:35:50 AM UTC, max.it wrote:
>>> Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed will become the youngest man to play Test
>>> cricket for England after being handed a debut in the third Test
>>> against Pakistan.
>>
>>And he has justified his selection because....RH
>
>Not every 18-year-old scores a century and take 5 wickets in an innings
>in their third f-c match.

Had he been white, no doubt the Pakistan supporter would have been
posting enthusiastically about this amazing new talent, and he would
have gone on to applaud his selection first for the squad and now for
the team.

Cheers,

Mike

On Friday, December 16, 2022 at 10:55:05 AM UTC, John Hall wrote:
> In message <eab71d5c-91e7-4218...@googlegroups.com>,
> Robert Henderson <anywh...@gmail.com> writes
> >On Friday, December 16, 2022 at 8:35:50 AM UTC, max.it wrote:
> >> Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed will become the youngest man to play Test
> >> cricket for England after being handed a debut in the third Test
> >> against Pakistan.
> >
> >And he has justified his selection because....RH
> Not every 18-year-old scores a century and take 5 wickets in an innings
> in their third f-c match. Also since joining the squad he has seemingly
> greatly impressed Stokes and McClellan - and just about every else apart
> from you. Apparently he's been bowling at the England Test team in the
> nets since the age of 12.

incredible. Stokes told the BBC "I've been watching him closely, without letting
him know I've been watching him closely," which reminds me of Peter Sellars
on the Goon show, and then Seacombe says something like, how can we fail!

> >>
> >> The 18-year-old breaks the record of legendary Yorkshire batter Brian
> >> Close,
> >
> >Allrounder bowling pace and ofspin RH
> >
> >which has stood since 1949.
> >
> >Jack (JN) Crawford was the youngest until Close passed him
> >>
> >> Ahmed and wicketkeeper Ben Foakes come into the side in Karachi in
> >> place of pace bowler James Anderson and all-rounder Will Jacks.

i'm pleased that foakes is back, even though Pope has done a very
good job. I think he missed a couple in the first test, but he did manage
to convince DRS that he had caught Shakeel. Clearly they think
Karachi will be another turner, but given how our seamers took most
of the wkts in the last test, i expected perhaps Joverton to come in.

Actually I thought Potts or Woakes were also on the tour. If Stokes
isnt gonna bowl, that puts quite a burden on Wood and olly, both
of whom gave interviews this week about how they thought their
england careers might be over because of injury.

I'm sure the pak batters will target rehan, so I hope he has a bit
more protection in the deep than leach did in the last match. Abrar
took several wkts in the deep when our lot were trying to clear
the ropes.

mike

On Fri, 16 Dec 2022 03:28:55 -0800 (PST), mike <dmike204@yahoo.co.uk>
wrote:

>
>i'm pleased that foakes is back, even though Pope has done a very
>good job. I think he missed a couple in the first test, but he did manage
>to convince DRS that he had caught Shakeel. Clearly they think
>Karachi will be another turner, but given how our seamers took most
>of the wkts in the last test, i expected perhaps Joverton to come in.

They've obviously assessed the pitch and decided to go with three
spinners in Leach, Ahmed and Root, and that meant that they needed the
best keeper. Since Wood has very little business opening the bowling,
I'm rather expecting Leach to take the new ball again.

Cheers,

Mike

Op vrijdag 16 december 2022 om 12:52:03 UTC+1 schreef Mike Holmans:
> On Fri, 16 Dec 2022 03:28:55 -0800 (PST), mike <dmik...@yahoo.co.uk>
> wrote:
> >
> >i'm pleased that foakes is back, even though Pope has done a very
> >good job. I think he missed a couple in the first test, but he did manage
> >to convince DRS that he had caught Shakeel. Clearly they think
> >Karachi will be another turner, but given how our seamers took most
> >of the wkts in the last test, i expected perhaps Joverton to come in.
> They've obviously assessed the pitch and decided to go with three
> spinners in Leach, Ahmed and Root, and that meant that they needed the
> best keeper. Since Wood has very little business opening the bowling,
> I'm rather expecting Leach to take the new ball again.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Mike

So James Anderson will play a Test with a player who wasn't yet born when Anderson made his Test debut.

But anyway.

Call me old-fashioned, but I always thought that legspinners, at 18, are not up to Test standard. No matter how good they are, you need more time to mature. Even Warne was 22 when he made his debut.

I guess we'll see over the weekend.

RtH

On Fri, 16 Dec 2022 05:33:43 -0800 (PST), Robbert ter Hart
<rterhart@gmail.com> wrote:

>
>So James Anderson will play a Test with a player who wasn't yet born when Anderson made his Test debut.

Maybe later this year, but not in Karachi, since Anderson isn't
selected.
>
>But anyway.
>
>Call me old-fashioned, but I always thought that legspinners, at 18, are not up to Test standard. No matter how good they are, you need more time to mature. Even Warne was 22 when he made his debut.
>
>I guess we'll see over the weekend.

Rashid Khan was 19 when he made his unimpressive debut. He took 18
wickets in his next two Tests, by which time he had just turned 20.
Four years later, he's probably the best leggie in the world right
now.

And Warne's debut was nothing anyone felt much like writing home
about.

If Ahmed takes 2-150 in the upcoming Test, the Pakistan supporter will
dance around and post "Ahmed shows his mettle" a million times; others
will note that he has simply emulated Warne and Rashid Khan.

History suggests that you're right, but there's no iron law, so I'll
wish him good luck, anyway.

Cheers,

Mike

On 16/12/2022 08:35, max.it wrote:
>
> Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed will become the youngest man to play Test
> cricket for England after being handed a debut in the third Test
> against Pakistan.
>
> The 18-year-old breaks the record of legendary Yorkshire batter Brian
> Close, which has stood since 1949.
>
> Ahmed and wicketkeeper Ben Foakes come into the side in Karachi in
> place of pace bowler James Anderson and all-rounder Will Jacks.
>
> England have already won the series and are looking for a 3-0 clean
> sweep.
>
> No visiting team has ever beaten Pakistan 3-0 in their country, while
> England have only ever earned three previous clean sweeps in away Test
> series of three matches or more.
>
> Leicestershire's Ahmed will be aged 18 years and 126 days when the
> Test begins on Saturday. Former captain Close was 18 years and 149
> days when he played against New Zealand at Old Trafford 73 years ago.
>
> https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/63987852

Brian Close never wrapped himself around a piece of cod in order to be
deep fried. He was an all- rounder, bowling medium pace or off spin as
the situation required. He was also a very good captain of Yorkshire,
Somerset and England.
Steve Hague

On Fri, 16 Dec 2022 15:59:05 +0000, steve hague
<stevehague82@gmail.com> wrote:

>On 16/12/2022 08:35, max.it wrote:
>>
>> Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed will become the youngest man to play Test
>> cricket for England after being handed a debut in the third Test
>> against Pakistan.
>>
>> The 18-year-old breaks the record of legendary Yorkshire batter Brian
>> Close, which has stood since 1949.
>
>Brian Close never wrapped himself around a piece of cod in order to be
>deep fried. He was an all- rounder, bowling medium pace or off spin as
>the situation required. He was also a very good captain of Yorkshire,
>Somerset and England.

His captaincy of Somerset was pretty spectacular, but most of his Test
career wasn't. (Cue Pakistan supporter listing his record and claiming
it's brilliant. Yawn.) At county level he was a star allrounder, but
at Test level he was mainly a useful bits-and-pieces unit.

He became legendary for getting bruised a great deal by West Indian
fast bowlers; without that, he would have faded into the obscurer
parts of memories a la Derek Pringle.

Cheers,

Mike

On 16/12/2022 16:09, Mike Holmans wrote:
> On Fri, 16 Dec 2022 15:59:05 +0000, steve hague
> <stevehague82@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> On 16/12/2022 08:35, max.it wrote:
>>>
>>> Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed will become the youngest man to play Test
>>> cricket for England after being handed a debut in the third Test
>>> against Pakistan.
>>>
>>> The 18-year-old breaks the record of legendary Yorkshire batter Brian
>>> Close, which has stood since 1949.
>>
>> Brian Close never wrapped himself around a piece of cod in order to be
>> deep fried. He was an all- rounder, bowling medium pace or off spin as
>> the situation required. He was also a very good captain of Yorkshire,
>> Somerset and England.
>
> His captaincy of Somerset was pretty spectacular, but most of his Test
> career wasn't. (Cue Pakistan supporter listing his record and claiming
> it's brilliant. Yawn.) At county level he was a star allrounder, but
> at Test level he was mainly a useful bits-and-pieces unit.
>
> He became legendary for getting bruised a great deal by West Indian
> fast bowlers; without that, he would have faded into the obscurer
> parts of memories a la Derek Pringle.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Mike
I agree, he was never great at Test level, but probably better than
Pringle. He was sacked as England captain because of a time wasting
incident whilst skippering Yorkshire. I thought at the time someone Up
There doesn't like him.

In message <vm5pph1ov48dh67pafca28bujaq7bd2oio@4ax.com>, Mike Holmans
<spam@jackalope.uk> writes
>On Fri, 16 Dec 2022 15:59:05 +0000, steve hague
><stevehague82@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>On 16/12/2022 08:35, max.it wrote:
>>>
>>> Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed will become the youngest man to play Test
>>> cricket for England after being handed a debut in the third Test
>>> against Pakistan.
>>>
>>> The 18-year-old breaks the record of legendary Yorkshire batter Brian
>>> Close, which has stood since 1949.
>>
>>Brian Close never wrapped himself around a piece of cod in order to be
>>deep fried. He was an all- rounder, bowling medium pace or off spin as
>>the situation required. He was also a very good captain of Yorkshire,
>>Somerset and England.
>
>His captaincy of Somerset was pretty spectacular, but most of his Test
>career wasn't. (Cue Pakistan supporter listing his record and claiming
>it's brilliant. Yawn.) At county level he was a star allrounder, but
>at Test level he was mainly a useful bits-and-pieces unit.
>
>He became legendary for getting bruised a great deal by West Indian
>fast bowlers; without that, he would have faded into the obscurer
>parts of memories a la Derek Pringle.

I think what he'll chiefly be remember for is leading England to that
emphatic and unexpected victory over WI in the final Test of 1966.
--
John Hall "Do you have cornflakes in America?"
"Well, actually, they're American."
"So what brings you to Britain then if you have cornflakes already?"
Bill Bryson: "Notes from a Small Island"

In message <01997c1d-fe70-4481-9ad9-c131efce04acn@googlegroups.com>,
Robbert ter Hart <rterhart@gmail.com> writes
>Op vrijdag 16 december 2022 om 12:52:03 UTC+1 schreef Mike Holmans:
>> On Fri, 16 Dec 2022 03:28:55 -0800 (PST), mike <dmik...@yahoo.co.uk>
>> wrote:
>> >
>> >i'm pleased that foakes is back, even though Pope has done a very
>> >good job. I think he missed a couple in the first test, but he did manage
>> >to convince DRS that he had caught Shakeel. Clearly they think
>> >Karachi will be another turner, but given how our seamers took most
>> >of the wkts in the last test, i expected perhaps Joverton to come in.
>> They've obviously assessed the pitch and decided to go with three
>> spinners in Leach, Ahmed and Root, and that meant that they needed the
>> best keeper. Since Wood has very little business opening the bowling,
>> I'm rather expecting Leach to take the new ball again.
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Mike
>
>So James Anderson will play a Test with a player who wasn't yet born
>when Anderson made his Test debut.

He would have done had he not been rested for this match. Clearly the
England management have no sense of history. :)

<snip>
--
John Hall "Do you have cornflakes in America?"
"Well, actually, they're American."
"So what brings you to Britain then if you have cornflakes already?"
Bill Bryson: "Notes from a Small Island"

On Friday, December 16, 2022 at 4:51:28 PM UTC, John Hall wrote:
> In message <vm5pph1ov48dh67pa...@4ax.com>, Mike Holmans
> <sp...@jackalope.uk> writes
> >On Fri, 16 Dec 2022 15:59:05 +0000, steve hague
> ><steveh...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >>On 16/12/2022 08:35, max.it wrote:
> >>>
> >>> Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed will become the youngest man to play Test
> >>> cricket for England after being handed a debut in the third Test
> >>> against Pakistan.
> >>>
> >>> The 18-year-old breaks the record of legendary Yorkshire batter Brian
> >>> Close, which has stood since 1949.
> >>
> >>Brian Close never wrapped himself around a piece of cod in order to be
> >>deep fried. He was an all- rounder, bowling medium pace or off spin as
> >>the situation required. He was also a very good captain of Yorkshire,
> >>Somerset and England.
> >
> >His captaincy of Somerset was pretty spectacular, but most of his Test
> >career wasn't. (Cue Pakistan supporter listing his record and claiming
> >it's brilliant. Yawn.) At county level he was a star allrounder, but
> >at Test level he was mainly a useful bits-and-pieces unit.
> >
> >He became legendary for getting bruised a great deal by West Indian
> >fast bowlers; without that, he would have faded into the obscurer
> >parts of memories a la Derek Pringle.
> I think what he'll chiefly be remember for is leading England to that
> emphatic and unexpected victory over WI in the final Test of 1966.
> --
> John Hall "Do you have cornflakes in America?"
> "Well, actually, they're American."
> "So what brings you to Britain then if you have cornflakes already?"
> Bill Bryson: "Notes from a Small Island"

Here are Close's career stats

https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/brian-close-10754

Close's problem as far as Tests were concerned was the inconsistency
of the selectors who b never gave him an extended run in Tests . Moreover at least hap;f of his 22 tests were made when England were up against it,

He had a run of Test wins (7 out of 8) as captain starting from the Oval Test v the Windies of 1966, three Tests won against India (1967) and 3 Tests against Pakistan (1967) one drawn and two won .

RH

On Fri, 16 Dec 2022 16:49:18 +0000, steve hague
<stevehague82@gmail.com> wrote:

>On 16/12/2022 16:09, Mike Holmans wrote:

>> He became legendary for getting bruised a great deal by West Indian
>> fast bowlers; without that, he would have faded into the obscurer
>> parts of memories a la Derek Pringle.
>>

>I agree, he was never great at Test level, but probably better than
>Pringle.

Oh, yes, I'd rate him higher than Pringle (about whom people were a
bit cruel: it wasn't his fault he wasn't Botham). Pringle's was just
the first name that occurred to me as an example of someone who
performed perfectly decently without really making much of a lasting
impression. Which, pace John, he didn't really do at Test level -
except in building on his reputation as the most heroic/idiotic person
ever to make a living by getting in the way of cricket balls
travelling at speed towards his chest or forehead.

Cheers,

Mike

On 16/12/2022 14:23, Mike Holmans wrote:
> On Fri, 16 Dec 2022 05:33:43 -0800 (PST), Robbert ter Hart
> <rterhart@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> So James Anderson will play a Test with a player who wasn't yet born when Anderson made his Test debut.
>
> Maybe later this year, but not in Karachi, since Anderson isn't
> selected.

Probably not *this* year. ;)

--
David North

On Fri, 16 Dec 2022 10:20:24 +0000, Mike Holmans <spam@jackalope.uk>
wrote:

>On Fri, 16 Dec 2022 08:35:41 +0000, max.it <max@tea.time> wrote:
>
>>
>>Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed will become the youngest man to play Test
>>cricket for England after being handed a debut in the third Test
>>against Pakistan.
>>
>>The 18-year-old breaks the record of legendary Yorkshire batter Brian
>>Close, which has stood since 1949.
>>
>>Ahmed and wicketkeeper Ben Foakes come into the side in Karachi in
>>place of pace bowler James Anderson and all-rounder Will Jacks.
>>
>>England have already won the series and are looking for a 3-0 clean
>>sweep.
>
>I'm pretty sure this was always plan A. The nonsense about promoting
>him from net bowler to full squad member was later revealed as a ploy.
>He was always in the full squad, but Rob Key didn't want him to be the
>juicy nugget for the press to obsess over when the squad was
>announced.
>
>If they could so arrange it that Ahmed could make his debut in a match
>where there is no pressure at all, then that would be ideal - and so
>it has proved. They think Ahmed is something rather special and are
>taking extraordinary care of his development. Time will tell whether
>they are right.
>
>Cheers,
>
>Mike

I read that he reckons himself to be a batsman who can bowl legspin.
Skipper and coach say he has every shot in the book and his bowling is
exciting.
Well he didn't learn that in the CC. He's been on the ECB development
pathway a long time already.

mac.it

On Fri, 16 Dec 2022 20:30:42 +0000, David North
<nospam@lane-farm.fsnet.co.uk> wrote:

>On 16/12/2022 14:23, Mike Holmans wrote:
>> On Fri, 16 Dec 2022 05:33:43 -0800 (PST), Robbert ter Hart
>> <rterhart@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> So James Anderson will play a Test with a player who wasn't yet born when Anderson made his Test debut.
>>
>> Maybe later this year, but not in Karachi, since Anderson isn't
>> selected.
>
>Probably not *this* year. ;)

What? We haven't got four more Tests before New Year's Eve? Blow me
down!

Cheers,

Mike

On 16/12/2022 16:45, John Hall wrote:
> In message <01997c1d-fe70-4481-9ad9-c131efce04acn@googlegroups.com>,
> Robbert ter Hart <rterhart@gmail.com> writes
>> Op vrijdag 16 december 2022 om 12:52:03 UTC+1 schreef Mike Holmans:
>>> On Fri, 16 Dec 2022 03:28:55 -0800 (PST), mike <dmik...@yahoo.co.uk>
>>> wrote:
>>> >
>>> >i'm pleased that foakes is back, even though Pope has done a very
>>> >good job. I think he missed a couple in the first test, but he did
>>> manage
>>> >to convince DRS that he had caught Shakeel. Clearly they think
>>> >Karachi will be another turner, but given how our seamers took most
>>> >of the wkts in the last test, i expected perhaps Joverton to come in.
>>> They've obviously assessed the pitch and decided to go with three
>>> spinners in Leach, Ahmed and Root, and that meant that they needed the
>>> best keeper. Since Wood has very little business opening the bowling,
>>> I'm rather expecting Leach to take the new ball again.
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>>
>>> Mike
>>
>> So James Anderson will play a Test with a player who wasn't yet born
>> when Anderson made his Test debut.
>
> He would have done had he not been rested for this match. Clearly the
> England management have no sense of history. :)

The last time it happened was in Tendulkar's final Test, when he played
alongside Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami, both born the year after
Tendulkar's debut.

The last time in an England Test team was at Lord's in 1932, when
Freddie Brown (b. 1910) played alongside Frank Woolley (debut 1909).
Also in that side was Bill Voce, who was born the day before Woolley's
debut!

Surprisingly, when Brian Close played 3 Tests in 1976, no-one in the
England team was born after his 1949 debut.

--
David North

On Friday, December 16, 2022 at 4:51:28 PM UTC, John Hall wrote:
> In message <01997c1d-fe70-4481...@googlegroups.com>,
> Robbert ter Hart <rter...@gmail.com> writes
> >Op vrijdag 16 december 2022 om 12:52:03 UTC+1 schreef Mike Holmans:
> >> On Fri, 16 Dec 2022 03:28:55 -0800 (PST), mike <dmik...@yahoo.co.uk>
> >> wrote:
> >> >
> >> >i'm pleased that foakes is back, even though Pope has done a very
> >> >good job. I think he missed a couple in the first test, but he did manage
> >> >to convince DRS that he had caught Shakeel. Clearly they think
> >> >Karachi will be another turner, but given how our seamers took most
> >> >of the wkts in the last test, i expected perhaps Joverton to come in.
> >> They've obviously assessed the pitch and decided to go with three
> >> spinners in Leach, Ahmed and Root, and that meant that they needed the
> >> best keeper. Since Wood has very little business opening the bowling,
> >> I'm rather expecting Leach to take the new ball again.
> >>

I hope his debut is not as traumatic as Crane or kerrigan.
Actually thinking of england spinner debuts, the only recent good 1
i can remember off hand [apart from jacks!] is Panesar , cos I think
he got tendulkar out cheaply and bowled with great control in india.

I hope Rehan is wiser than his years. Hes got quite a beard on him so
i wonder if hes gonna grow it to dilly or ali length. I grew a beard as
soon as i left school and was very proud of it, but my parents told me
i looked like a tramp.

I had thought that Mustaq was the youngest ever test player at 15+,
but when i looked it up, it was another called Hasan Raza who was
apparently 14. I'd never heard of him but he was still playing
until a few years ago when he was mentioned in some scandal.

What are the stats for tests which are the last of a dead rubber?
Its always mentioned when the series winning team loses the
final test, but does it actually happen that often?

mike

On Saturday, December 17, 2022 at 3:09:17 AM UTC+11, Mike Holmans wrote:
> On Fri, 16 Dec 2022 15:59:05 +0000, steve hague
> <steveh...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >On 16/12/2022 08:35, max.it wrote:
> >>
> >> Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed will become the youngest man to play Test
> >> cricket for England after being handed a debut in the third Test
> >> against Pakistan.
> >>
> >> The 18-year-old breaks the record of legendary Yorkshire batter Brian
> >> Close, which has stood since 1949.
> >
> >Brian Close never wrapped himself around a piece of cod in order to be
> >deep fried. He was an all- rounder, bowling medium pace or off spin as
> >the situation required. He was also a very good captain of Yorkshire,
> >Somerset and England.
> His captaincy of Somerset was pretty spectacular, but most of his Test
> career wasn't. (Cue Pakistan supporter listing his record and claiming
> it's brilliant. Yawn.) At county level he was a star allrounder, but
> at Test level he was mainly a useful bits-and-pieces unit.
>
Seems a fair summary of his career
I do wonder if he was underused as a bowler but then again at various stages he was competing for a spinning spot with Laker, Lock, Wardle, Appleyard, Titmus, Underwood and I don't know if his medium pace was enough to get him past them and his batting just never showed enough to justify a top 6 spot in tests

On Saturday, December 17, 2022 at 4:23:04 AM UTC+11, anywh...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Friday, December 16, 2022 at 4:51:28 PM UTC, John Hall wrote:
> > In message <vm5pph1ov48dh67pa...@4ax.com>, Mike Holmans
> > <sp...@jackalope.uk> writes
> > >On Fri, 16 Dec 2022 15:59:05 +0000, steve hague
> > ><steveh...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > >>On 16/12/2022 08:35, max.it wrote:
> > >>>
> > >>> Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed will become the youngest man to play Test
> > >>> cricket for England after being handed a debut in the third Test
> > >>> against Pakistan.
> > >>>
> > >>> The 18-year-old breaks the record of legendary Yorkshire batter Brian
> > >>> Close, which has stood since 1949.
> > >>
> > >>Brian Close never wrapped himself around a piece of cod in order to be
> > >>deep fried. He was an all- rounder, bowling medium pace or off spin as
> > >>the situation required. He was also a very good captain of Yorkshire,
> > >>Somerset and England.
> > >
> > >His captaincy of Somerset was pretty spectacular, but most of his Test
> > >career wasn't. (Cue Pakistan supporter listing his record and claiming
> > >it's brilliant. Yawn.) At county level he was a star allrounder, but
> > >at Test level he was mainly a useful bits-and-pieces unit.
> > >
> > >He became legendary for getting bruised a great deal by West Indian
> > >fast bowlers; without that, he would have faded into the obscurer
> > >parts of memories a la Derek Pringle.
> > I think what he'll chiefly be remember for is leading England to that
> > emphatic and unexpected victory over WI in the final Test of 1966.
> > --
> > John Hall "Do you have cornflakes in America?"
> > "Well, actually, they're American."
> > "So what brings you to Britain then if you have cornflakes already?"
> > Bill Bryson: "Notes from a Small Island"
> Here are Close's career stats
>
> https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/brian-close-10754
>
> Close's problem as far as Tests were concerned was the inconsistency
> of the selectors who b never gave him an extended run in Tests . Moreover at least hap;f of his 22 tests were made when England were up against it,

Strange how that's an excuse for Close but doesn't come into effect for other players.
But really he never did enough with the chances he got

On Friday, 16 December 2022 at 09:55:21 UTC, anywh...@gmail.com wrote:

> And he has justified his selection because....RH

Don't pick him! RH hasn't seen enough of him yet! Although I'm looking forward to Robert's obsessive identification of his flaws in the coming years.

On Friday, 16 December 2022 at 08:35:50 UTC, max.it wrote:
> Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed will become the youngest man to play Test
> cricket for England after being handed a debut in the third Test
> against Pakistan.

Rehan's Dad was invited into the huddle when Rehan got his cap.

"Best moment of my life", in his words to Agnew just now.