Teenager signs four-year deal with Lancs

The 19-year-old made his first class debut during Lancashire’s County Championship promotion campaign last year and caught the eye with a string of mature displays.

Having joined the Red Rose as a nine year-old, the Bolton-born opener excelled in every age group for the county and has also played for England at under 15, under 17 and under 19 levels, the latter for whom he captained last summer.

He signed professional terms with Lancashire, alongside fellow England under 19s internationals Saqib Mahmood and Matthew Parkinson, towards the end of 2014 and made his senior debut in the County Championship match against Glamorgan at Emirates Old Trafford.

He opened the innings alongside Karl Brown and shared a 76-run partnership in a rain interrupted stint at the crease.

From the four matches he played last season, he averaged over 42 runs with his highest score coming in the top of the table clash against Surrey when he hit a resilient 91.

Lancashire’s cricket director and head coach, Ashley Giles, said: “He has come through our system from a very young age and has shown a tremendous amount of talent at each stage of his development.

“He really impressed me in the four first class games he played last year and he showed that he has an experienced head on young shoulders. That stoic innings against Surrey was exceptional and you would never have believed it had come from a lad just a few games into his professional career.

“We have now been able to retain a number of our young, home grown cricketers on long term contracts. This is hugely important to us as a club as they represent the future of Lancashire cricket.”

Haseeb Hameed said: “Lancashire have shown great faith in me throughout my development and have been crucial to my progress as a cricketer. I’m still learning the game and there is no other place I would rather play my cricket than Lancashire, my home county.

“It was a proud moment for me and my family when I made my debut last year and I was pleased to have played a small part in us getting back to Division One. I’m looking forward to wearing the Red Rose once again next season and working alongside Ashley Giles, the rest of the coaching staff and my team-mates for what I hope will be another season of success.”