Rehan Ahmed celebrated the ‘best day of my life’ after taking two wickets as the youngest England men’s Test cricketer in history.
Aged just 18 years and 126 days Ahmed broke a 73-year-old record when he walked out to play in Karachi and his leg-spinning skills helped dismiss Pakistan for 304 on day one. All five bowlers used by England got on the scoreboard with Jack Leach taking 4-140 from his 31 overs to become the leading wicket taker in the world for the year so far.
But from the moment Nasser Hussain presented him with his cap before the start of play right up until the teams walked off at the close, the day was all about Ahmed. “It was the best day of my life,” he said with 2-89 to his name.
“I couldn’t have asked for more and it is the biggest blessing sent down to me. I didn't expect to play. I just came on this tour to get better but they've given me a chance to play.
“I believe in myself and I’ve been given the opportunity so I just tried my best. I didn't sleep at all last night. I was very nervous before the first ball but the whole day was good.”
Those nerves were plain to see in Ahmed’s first spell when Ben Stokes called on him to open his account in the 17th over of the game. Leach had opened the bowling, the first time a spinner had done so for England in the first innings of a Test since 1921, and had removed Abdullah Shafique for eight.
Mark Wood had picked up where he left off in Multan by dismissing Shan Masood for 30, caught at fine leg from a top edged pull. The two wickets meant that Ahmed came on to bowl against Babar Azam and Azhar Ali, a pair of Pakistani batting greats on an easy paced pitch.
There wasn’t a deeper end for him to dive off into. He was tense and nervous, entirely understandable, and his lengths were inconsistent as the Pakistan batters took full toll, hitting him for 37 from his first five overs.
Lunch arrived when Ollie Robinson removed Azhar Ali and it was the perfect time for a cup of tea, a chat with his team-mates and coaches in the dressing room and a chance to reset. Stokes gave him an hour in the field to gather himself before he called on him once more just after drinks, and this is where we got to see the player that we should all be so excited about.
A ripping googly on a good length drew Saud Shakeel forward but he met thin air as it fizzed past the outside edge and drew audible gasps from players and fans alike. The next ball was a little wider but it gripped and spun the other way to take the inside edge via the pad and the diving Ollie Pope at short leg took an incredible one handed catch.
Ahmed was a Test match wicket-taker and as he was mobbed by his team-mates it was clear that this was a scene that would be repeated time and again in the future. “I felt more relaxed as the day went on,” added Ahmed.
“I've bowled at left-handers all my life as my brother's left-handed and I used the tactic I used against him. Googly, then leg spinner and it worked.” As the day wore on Pakistan’s batters found fantastically careless ways of getting out either chipping full tosses into the deep to be caught or running themselves out with kamikaze singles.
In amongst the mayhem was another beauty from Ahmed, this time the googly from around the wicket proving too good for Faheem Ashraf who was trapped lbw as part of a high quality 12 over spell. There is more of that to come.
