Rehan Ahmed a "fantastic talent", says Ben Stokes

The 18-year-old Leicestershire allrounder has been called up to England's Test squad to face Pakistan despite playing just three first-class matches

Ben Stokes has described Rehan Ahmed as a "fantastic talent" following the youngster's call-up to England's Test squad to face Pakistan.

The 18-year-old Leicestershire allrounder has made three first-class appearances in his short career, taking nine wickets and scoring 195 runs – including a century and a five-for in the same match against Derbyshire in the 2022 LV= Insurance County Championship – and was added to England's 16-strong squad on Wednesday.

Should he feature in Rawalpindi, Multan or Karachi, he would become England’s youngest men's Test player, surpassing the record set by Brian Close in July 1949.

However, while "chucking him a Test cap" is an option, Stokes is unwilling to over-hype the teenager's involvement, describing his inclusion as an opportunity to introduce him to the international arena and "nurture him".

"We see him as one of those very rare talents, to have someone at such a young age be so noticeable with the way he bowls and the way he bats," Stokes told Sky Sports.

^{Rehan Ahmed has made three first-class appearances for Leicestershire [Gareth Copley/Getty Images]}

"We saw it as a good opportunity to get him into the squad, around the group and into the environment. We're fully aware he's not the finished project and I think it's important for his inclusion not to be looked into too much.

"We see this as an opportunity to get someone as talented as Rehan into the squad and nurture him. Who knows where he could be in two or three years' time. I'm excited to have him in the squad, but if we feel we want to chuck him a Test cap, we're in the position to do that."

Managing director of England men's cricket, Rob Key, added that Ahmed's elevation to the Test squad for Pakistan was always part of the plan, labelling it "the best way to aid his development".

Ahmed featured for England Lions during a warm-up fixture against the Test squad in Abu Dhabi earlier this week, returning figures of 0 for 73 from eight overs and blasting 26 runs off 10 balls, while there were also positive showings from a number of batters, including Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope and Haseeb Hameed.

"You want to have moments where you're scratching your head for the final eleven you pick," Stokes said, addressing England's selection headache.  

"It was great to see the talent that English cricket has. The Lions boys came out and played exactly the way we have been throughout the summer. It's great to see the message filtering down."