Rehan Ahmed (born 13 August 2004) is an English cricketer.[2] He made his international debut against Pakistan on 17 December 2022, becoming England men's youngest Test debutant at the age of 18 years and 126 days. On the third day of the match he also became the youngest debutant to take five wickets in an innings in men’s Tests. On 12 March 2023, Ahmed became the youngest England male cricketer to play in all three formats of international cricket.[3]
Early life and career
His father Naeem Ahmed, a former cricketer, was born in Pakistan, where he played as a fast-bowling all-rounder, before moving to England.[4] Naeem, originally from Mirpur in Azad Kashmir, shifted to England with his wife in 2001, where he began to work as a taxi driver.[5] Rehan can speak Pothwari, the dialect of Punjabi dominant in Mirpur, while he can also understand Urdu.[6] His brothers Farhan and Raheem are also cricketers.[7]
Ahmed was in the youth set up at Nottinghamshire but left to join Leicestershire in 2017. Aged 13, he was already billed as one of the brightest prospects in English cricket, having been invited to bowl at England and West Indies at Lord's and clean bowled Ben Stokes.[8]
Ahmed was part of England's squad for the 2022 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies in early 2022.[11] He played in four of his team's six matches, taking 12 wickets, as England finished as runners-up to India.[12]
In April 2022, he was bought by the Southern Brave for the 2022 season of The Hundred.[13] Later the same month, he signed a contract extension to the end of 2026 with Leicestershire.[14]
^Johnston, Rob. "Rehan Ahmed - The shadow batter in spotlight". Cricbuzz. Retrieved 29 September 2022. His father, Naeem, played good level cricket in Pakistan as a fast-bowling all-rounder before moving to England and Ahmed initially tried to emulate his Dad by bowling seam.
