England under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum has been all about giving the players freedom of expression both on and off the field. As part of the off-field freedom that young leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed revealed how the England skipper has also been appreciative of the teenager’s Islamic faith.
“Much more important than cricket,” Rehan was quoted by BBC on the role of Islam in his day-to-day activities. “Stokes is so good with that,” the 19-year-old would say.
The British Asian and a practicing Muslim in the Bazball surrounding, Ahmed doesn’t face any issue getting time off for Friday prayers, even at the expense of training.
Recalling an incident Rehan said, “I remember a time in Abu Dhabi where there was a team day out on a Friday. We had Friday prayers. Me and Bash (Shoaib Bashir) were there. I messaged Wayno (Wayne Bentley), the team manager, asking if we could miss this day because we need to pray.”
“Stokes messaged me straight away and said: ‘Come to me whenever you want about this kind of stuff, I understand it fully’. And yes, he’s stuck by his word. Every time I pray he is so respectful and very understanding. Everyone is on this tour,” Rehan added.
While much credit must be given to Stokes for managing Rehan, the youngster did not flinch at the pressure of international cricket either so far.
He is the youngest player to play Test cricket for England when he made his debut at 18 years and 126 days old in Karachi in December 2022, signaling his arrival with a match-turning five-wicket haul in Pakistan’s second innings.
In the ongoing series against India Rehan picked eight wickets from two games at an average of 36.38. Though the average might not say much he has picked up crucial wickets from time to time to turn the course of the game.
In addition to his bowling, Rehan looked solid with the bat chipping in with handy cameos coming down the order and building partnerships with the set batters to frustrate the Indian bowlers.
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