Rehan Ahmed Earns Maiden ODI and IT20 England Calls

Leicestershire CCC all-rounder Rehan Ahmed has earned a maiden call-up to both the England ODI and IT20 squads for next month’s series away to Bangladesh.

Ahmed will feature as part of two 15-player squads for England’s first tour of Bangladesh since 2016 with the three-match ODI series starting in Dhaka on 1 March, before the three-game IT20 series begins in Chattogram on 9 March.

The Academy graduate’s selection will write the latest chapter in his meteoric ascent to the international stage, having made Test history during England’s eight-wicket win over Pakistan in December as the youngest ever debutant to take a five-wicket haul.

First appearing for England’s U19s in September 2021, Ahmed has claimed 24 wickets at 15.62, including 12 in four innings during the 2022 ICC Under-19 World Cup, alongside scoring 216 runs at an average of 21.6.

The leg-spinner later impressed on England Lions debut against South Africa, claiming the prized wickets of Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen to finish with figures of 3/54.

Ahmed has also shown his precocious talent in both white-ball formats for Leicestershire. The 18-year-old enjoyed a tremendous first T20 Vitality Blast campaign for the Foxes during 2022, recording 19 wickets at an average of 20.15, including a career-best of 4/22 at Durham in June.

It backed up a superb maiden campaign during the 2021 Royal London Cup, in which Ahmed took five wickets and averaged 44.50 with the bat after debuting for the Club against Yorkshire as a 16-year-old.

Such form led to involvement in last summer’s The Hundred for Southern Brave, where Ahmed averaged 34 with bat in hand and claimed a best of 2/20 with the ball, while he is currently away with Gulf Giants in the inaugural ILT20, where he has helped Andy Flower’s side advance to the play-offs stage.

Leicestershire CCC Head Coach, Paul Nixon, said: “We’ve been absolutely delighted the way Rehan has looked so at home in international cricket.

“He looks like he can dominate, and that’s exactly what he did when he came into our white-ball sides over the past year.

“Rehan was confident, competitive and he trusted his skills, which translated into some match-winning performances for us.”

March’s tour of Bangladesh will be England Men’s latest preparations for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in October, as England seek to defend their 2019 triumph.

ODI Squad: Jos Buttler (Lancashire, captain), Tom Abell (Somerset), Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Moeen Ali (Warwickshire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Sam Curran (Surrey), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Reece Topley (Surrey), James Vince (Hampshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham). 

IT20 Squad: Jos Buttler (Lancashire, captain), Tom Abell (Somerset), Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Moeen Ali (Warwickshire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Sam Curran (Surrey), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Will Jacks (Surrey), Chris Jordan (Surrey), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Reece Topley (Surrey), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham).