Watch: Haseeb Hameed has had to wait a long time and go through plenty of tough times before his Test return.
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After impressing on Test debut in India in 2016, he suffered an extreme loss of form, going two years without a County Championship century and averaging less than 10 with the bat throughout 2018.
A switch to Notts seemed to bring about a return to form, and two hundreds in a game earlier this season, along with a century against India in a tour match, confirmed he was back, and with England’s top order struggling, he was picked for the second Test against India in place of Zak Crawley.
Joe Root’s decision at the toss to bowl first and a solid opening stand delayed his first stint at the crease, and so when it came, there was significant anticipation. It didn’t last long, with a full, straight ball from Mohammed Siraj beating his defensive push and comprehensively bowling the youngster.
While it looked at first like the ball hadn’t done much, a tweet from CricViz suggested there had been noticeable movement. Siraj celebrated with a finger to his lips, having silenced the ground. Hameed’s Test return is now underway, but his wait for his first Test run in more than four years will have to wait.
Watch Hameed get bowled below:
Oh Haseeb…#ENGvINDpic.twitter.com/NrzisvpIP5
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) August 13, 2021