England’s Haseeb Hameed confirms star quality with show of steel and style


The Lancashire opener will fly home for treatment on his injured finger but his rearguard action against India in Mohali further demonstrated his potential

Haseeb Hameed, England’s 19-year-old opener, has seen his tour of India ended by the broken finger sustained during the eight-wicket defeat in the third Test but will fly home with his team-mates in awe and the praise of his captain, his coach and his idol ringing in his ears following an innings of remarkable courage and skill.

As the right-hander was repelling India’s bowlers for just shy of three hours from No8 with an unbeaten 59 on the fourth day of the match – one that ended with Alastair Cook’s going 2-0 down in the series with two Tests to play – the results of an overnight scan were returned to the medical staff. They showed the blow inflicted by the fast bowler Umesh Yadav on the first morning had broken his little finger in two.

Related: India beat England by eight wickets in third Test to take 2-0 lead in series

Related: India beat England by eight wickets: third Test, day four – as it happened

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