From averaging 10 to a Test recall, 'Baby Boycott' is back

England boss Ashley Giles says young opener Haseeb Hameed "seems to have found his love for the game again" after a torrid few years that included being axed from his county side and averaging less than 10 in a full domestic season.

Hameed was this week recalled to England's Test squad for the first time since 2016, the right-hander called in as cover for the start of their two-match series against New Zealand on Wednesday.

Now 24, Hameed burst onto the international scene almost five years ago when, aged just 19, he made a composed double of 31 and 82 on Test debut in India, the highest score ever by an England teenager.

The baby-faced opener averaged 44 in three Tests to announce himself as a star of the future but having been labelled 'Baby Boycott' and even drawing praise from India's skipper Virat Kohli, his series was abruptly cut short by a finger injury.

But further injuries in the years that followed and a staggering form slump that was "a complete and utter mystery" meant he quickly fell off the international radar.

In 2018, Hameed averaged just 9.7 from 17 innings for Lancashire and was released from the county at the end of the following season.

"Where his form and function have disappeared to is a complete and utter mystery to us," Lancashire's director of cricket Paul Allott said at the time.

"He is a dilemma for us – we gave him more opportunity, probably, than he deserved. Far too many games probably, but having said that, I've not seen a more talented young opening batsman in my 40-odd years in the game."

But having made a solid start with his new county Nottinghamshire in 2020, Hameed has averaged more than 50 in seven games to start the 2021 campaign, leading to his recall this week.

"As we've picked him in the squad, we've got to think he's ready," Giles, England's director of cricket, said this week after Hameed and Sam Billings were called in to cover the injury to Ben Foakes.

"I worked closely with Has at Lancashire, he was promoted to the senior ranks very quickly and then went back a little but has now come again and averaged between 40 and 50 over the last couple of years.

"He seems to have found his love for the game again. He's a really exciting young player, I loved working with him and he's clearly found a home at Notts.

"He's a high-quality young player. But as we see with some players, they come into the England system and it can shock them a little bit.

"Sometimes they can go back a bit, but he's shown the character that we know he's got and he's come back strong."

Speaking to INews earlier this month, Hameed said his early experiences with the England side – and his struggles since then – have been him a better player.

"I'm back to enjoying my cricket and the environment here at Nottinghamshire makes it very easy to fall in love with cricket again," he said.

"I don't believe that being picked for England so early in my career created additional pressure. I am my own biggest critic and the expectations I have on myself are always very high.

"There was a lot of chat about me when I started to play for England but in my own head it was just about me trying to do the best I could.

"Having done well at a young age and in India, I knew that I could push myself further. Looking back, it was all a part of the learning experience and I'm still young and hopefully I have my best years ahead of me. I feel that the earlier experiences of my career, both good and bad, will help me in the future.

"I've never hidden away from my England ambitions as a cricketer and that still remains the case. But as cliched as it may sound, the only way that can happen is if I keep focused on the present."