When Rehan Ahmed saw Joe Root with his pads on during Trent Rockets training last week, he made sure to tell England’s all-time leading Test run-getter what he wanted.
‘I was like, “Rooty, you might as well have a bat otherwise I’ll just watch you on YouTube. At least I can learn by watching you live and asking you”. He’s just so good and nice to have around,’ Ahmed tells Daily Mail Sport. ‘I love watching other batters and if I’m curious, I’ll ask. I learn so much from just watching.’
Asking is his way. When Ahmed missed England training in 2023 for his driving test, he made sure to tell Matthew Mott – then England white-ball coach – that he passed. Then he asked if he was playing against New Zealand the next day. He was.
And if it wasn’t for asking then he may not have got his big break as a top-order batter for Leicestershire this season.
When opener Rishi Patel got injured in April, Ahmed picked up the phone and told head coach Alfonso Thomas he wanted that vacancy. After all, he need only look at Steve Smith or Kevin Pietersen for the value of going from a spin-bowling all-rounder to leading with the bat.
Come August, the 20-year-old has impressed both at the top of the order and at his current position of No 3. He has five County Championship centuries including four in his last five innings, and Leicestershire are top of Division Two.
Rehan Ahmed has set his sights on breaking into Brendon McCullum’s Test side for the Ashes
Ahmed has five County Championship hundreds and is starring in Leicestershire’s top order
‘No one’s going to give anything to you,’ he says. ‘If you don’t ask, you don’t get it. I saw an opportunity and felt I was batting well enough.
‘I rang Alfonso saying I want to open and I did well, so I got the No 3 spot. It’s nice to have that role instead of batting lower down and not having that clarity. So I’m in a good place.’
Thomas claimed England made a mistake picking 35-year-old Liam Dawson over Ahmed when Shoaib Bashir got injured, but Ahmed understood the decision, even if it didn’t go his way.
‘I’ve always been in contact with Keysy (Rob Key) and Wrighty (Luke Wright) from the get-go,’ he says. ‘They were clear and explained that decision. Daws (Dawson) deserved it. I only had a few good games but he’s had a good few years and deserved that chance in the Test shirt.’
So to the Ashes this winter. Ahmed turns 21 on Wednesday and has been part of England’s plans for all three formats ever since he became the nation’s youngest Test debutant in Pakistan in 2022 aged 18. But he has never had a clear role.
He has played 21 times for England across formats, and the message going into this summer from Key and Wright was simply about continuing his growth. He has done that emphatically, scoring 760 runs at an average of 51 and a strike rate of 76, while taking 23 wickets at 19 with his leg-spin in county cricket.
Given those numbers, Ahmed is certain to travel to Australia either as part of the main squad or as part of the touring Lions party led by Andrew Flintoff.
‘I saw Stokesy on Sunday (at the Hundred) and had a bit of a catch-up,’ he says. ‘Of course, I want to play in the Ashes. Any cricketer would. And I have full faith in the England management that if they feel like I’m fit to do the job and make a difference then they will pick me.’
Ahmed took a five-for on Test debut at Karachi in 2022 as England’s youngest-ever cricketer
There are questions around Ollie Pope’s future at three but Ahmed isn’t fussed where he bats, insisting that with a change in mindset this season initiated by himself, he backs himself to deliver from anywhere.
‘I’d bat anywhere for England – be it three, six or nine,’ he says. ‘Popey is doing a great job and the current batting lineup is unbelievable.
‘The main thing I’ve changed is my mindset. Last year, I got out a few times in the 70s and 80s and I knew I gave it away. Maybe I was too relaxed. I know I’m better and it was about not getting content with that.
‘It was about getting to 100 and then getting another 100 and making that difference. I love batting so it was just a concentration thing. Instead of batting half an hour in nets, I now bat for a few hours to try to replicate what it’s like to play a long innings.
‘When I saw my numbers from last season, they were not good enough. I’m happy I was open to change. Right now, I’m very content with my batting and bowling but seeking perfection is a never-ending pursuit.’
It has always been that way for the boy turned man, who has only ever been interested in cricket. I recall the first time I met his family at Chaiiwala in early 2022 and ask if he’s still cricket mad. ‘Yeah, I haven’t changed,’ he says immediately.
His brother Farhan was just 14 then. Now 17, Farhan has played for the Lions and could face Rehan in the Hundred on August 19 in their hometown, Nottingham, for Manchester Originals. Some say Farhan may even be the better of the two, though he already has a long way to go to match what Rehan has achieved in the game.
Farhan is expected to be part of the Lions touring party which will be in Australia at the same time as the senior squad this winter, with England ensuring they are as ready as can be to win there for the first time since 2010-11.
Rehan’s younger brother Farhan, 17, is bowling for Manchester Originals and Nottinghamshire
Ahmed’s leg-spin remains a potent weapon, and he is turning himself into a true all-rounder
‘He’s such a special talent, Alhamdulillah (all praise to God),’ says Rehan, who took the youngest five-for by a debutant in that first Test for England in Karachi in 2022. ‘To play in the Hundred as a pure off-spinner at 17 shows his skill. I’ve faced him a lot and I know he is very good.’
Ahmed’s first real taste of the Ashes came in 2023, when he was called into the squad ahead of the second Test but didn’t play. That was the first time he had watched all five days of an Ashes Test and admits he has been gagging to play in one ever since.
Regardless of whether it’s in front of 60,000 in Perth or 100,000 at the MCG, he won’t feel the pressure one bit. That’s his style. After all, he made his England debut before he had even driven a car.
‘That would be great (if I got to play),’ he says. ‘There’s no nerves whatsoever. If I get the chance Inshallah (if God wills), I’ll be used to the situation. That comes from experience even though I’ve only played five Test matches.
‘I’m young but I’ve got nearly five years of professional cricket experience. Age is almost irrelevant. It’s been a good year but I’ve got to keep learning.’