Naik Reflects on Ahmed's Journey

Foxes allrounder and Academy graduate Rehan Ahmed begins preparations for the Young Lions’ ODI series against Sri Lanka, taking place in Colombo.

The five-match series begins on Tuesday, November 30, 2021 as the England U19 squad have their eyes on the ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup which takes place in January 2022 in the Caribbean.

Ahmed, who recently signed a contract extension at the Uptonsteel County Ground after a debut season in professional cricket, made his way through the pathway in Leicestershire under the guidance of a number of coaches, such as former-Nottinghamshire batter Paul Johnson, former-Foxes spinner Jigar Naik, former-Foxes allrounder Phil DeFreitas and long-standing member of the coaching staff Dave Whitmore - who is currently undergoing his ECB Level 4 qualification “ all under the stewardship of LCCC Head of Academy, Alastair Maiden.

Ahmed made his debut in professional cricket for Leicestershire after making his List A bow against Yorkshire Vikings at the Uptonsteel County Ground in 2021, and has since earned the right to play international cricket for the England U19 set up, as well as earning a call up to the County Select XI that faced India in a 3-day fixture at Durham’s Chester-le-Street.

One coach who has worked with Ahmed during his time in the LCCC Academy is Jigar Naik. The duo have continued to work together as the 17-year old continues his journey into professional cricket.

On witnessing his development and continual growth as part of the Running Foxes, Naik commented on Ahmed’s journey: “It's great to see Rehan [Ahmed] get selected for England U19’s.

“He is developing brilliantly and has come on leaps and bounds over the years that I have known him, purely down to sheer dedication and hard work.

"He and I have worked hard on refining his action to get more spin on the ball and more consistency. He has also worked tirelessly on his batting and fielding to make himself into a three dimensional cricketer."

He added: "At Leicestershire we are keen on people being able to have an impact in at least two facets of the game. As a staff, we communicate and work hard as a unit to make sure that we are all working on the players’ key development areas. All of us have had input into Rehan’s journey but ultimately his success has been down to him.

"He now has a great opportunity to showcase his skill on the world stage with and against the very best young players, and I know he is relishing the chance to stake his claim further down the line into the U19’s World Cup.

“All the coaches at Leicestershire wish him the very best and are all eager to see him on the big screen!”

Naik is a long-standing member of Leicestershire County Cricket Club, with a history of coming through the age groups system himself, into the First XI to win T20 honours and now finds himself as an integral part of the coaching staff.

Alongside the likes of the aforementioned Johnson, DeFreitas, Whitmore and Maiden, the rise of Rehan is not only testament to himself as a player, but also to the dedication and work ethic shown by the coaches throughout his time at Leicestershire.

We all look forward to seeing how Rehan performs in Sri Lanka, in the U19 World Cup and as a Running Fox in 2022.