England’s Test coach Brendon McCullum has backed England’s talented youngster Rehan Ahmed to be picked in the upcoming Indian Premier League mini-auction which is all set to take place in Kochi on December 23. While speaking on BBC’s Test Match Special, McCullum said that it would be great to see Rehan being picked by an IPL team as well.
“It would be great. It would be awesome if he did. Why not? Why not get an opportunity to go and play under different coaches and different captains and rub shoulders with different players and pick up those experiences? What 18-year-old kid anywhere else in world cricket is going to get those chances? I think we should encourage it,” said McCullum.
He also said Rehan Ahmed has got a real future before him and he has been on English cricket’s radar as well.
“He’s got a real future. He’s a guy who has been on the radar of English cricket for a little while. It took some courage from Stokesy [Ben Stokes] and a few people to thrust him into this opportunity. The more we’re prepared to do that, the more we can discover how talented people are and how much they can grow on the big stage as well,” McCullum further added.
“His skill is not a problem” – Brendon McCullum on Rehan Ahmed
Brendon McCullum has also said that he encourages Rehan Ahmed to play more franchise cricket to get as much experience as possible from around the world.
“The important thing for Rehan is that we continue to look after him. He won’t be in every squad and I’ll encourage him to play as much franchise cricket as he can, and get as many experiences around the globe and play with different players, under different coaches and in different conditions,” shared Brendon McCullum.
Moreover, McCullum again shared that the most important thing for Rehan Ahmed is to gain experience now by playing those franchise cricket.
“His skill is not a problem, his attitude is absolutely brilliant. We’ve just got to get as much experience into him as possible. That’s not just at Test level but in leagues as well. I couldn’t be happier for him: it will give other kids around England some motivation that if you work hard enough and you’ve got skill and the game is your passion, then you can actually achieve it, maybe sooner than you thought,” concluded Brendon McCullum.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.
