The 21-year-old batsman, who played three Test matches for England in India in the winter of 2016, has emerged primarily as a first-class player since his Lancashire debut in 2015 – but is open to pursuing limited-overs offerings domestically and, he hopes, internationally in the future too.
Hameed, who has a classical game more suited to the long haul and built on finesse, strokeplay and a strong defence, has turned out in only eight 50-over contests for his county so far, on top of his 42 first-class appearances.
Although four-day competition and a return to Test cricket is ultimately his long-term goal, as he alluded to in a recent interview with Sport360 in Dubai, the Bolton-born star feels it is important to keep moving forward with the pace of the game.
“From a young age, I’ve always wanted to play in all three formats,” Hameed said on the sidelines during the Red Rose’s training stint at the ICC Academy in Dubai.
“I’ve matured as a player in the last 18 to 24 months and that’s what I hope to continue to do and be successful in all three formats. I think the most important thing for me is, I’ve got a game where I feel I don’t have to change too much.”
Talk of a return to the international fold will always be an undercurrent to Hameed’s career until he does eventually play for England again, but for now, he is focused on scoring runs whatever competition he is batting in.
He said: “Of course, there are different skill sets in all formats but the basics are very much the same. For me, it’s about recognising the player who I want to be in all formats and not be someone who I’m not.
“I’m not going to be someone like Chris Gayle or Kieron Pollard who can just whack the ball over the ground but I find different ways of scoring runs. For me, it’s an exciting challenge and I’m taking steps towards that.”
