English Cricket: Potential debuts for Rashid and Khan in the most trying of circumstances

England Cricket / Andrew Hughes / 09 December 2008 / Leave a Comment

Depending on injuries and conditions, Amjad Khan and Adil Rashid could be making their Test debuts on Thursday. Here Andrew Hughes looks at the dream debuts, horror debuts and one-cap wonders of recent times of English Test cricket.

The decision of England's cricketers to return to India is a brave one. There is no doubt that they are targets and there are few more exposed locations than the middle of a cricket field. Pietersen and his men may be escorted by a battalion or two of commandos but no level of security can completely erase the unease that must lurk at the back of their minds. For refusing to be cowed by their entirely human fears, they deserve applause.

In happier times, we would be devoting more attention to the promotion of two new faces to the England squad. Adil Rashid is a young leg-spinner of great potential. But his time in India will be spent watching and, hopefully, learning. It is his fellow promotee, Amjad Khan, who is in with a realistic chance of an international debut.

The Kent quick bowler, who was born in Copenhagen and gained his British passport in 2006, is a replacement for Stuart Broad, who will be missing for the First Test in Chennai beginning on Thursday. With England likely to play two spinners, Khan's best chance of a game is if illness or injury were to strike Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison or James Anderson. Stranger things have happened of course.

If he were to get the call, how would he fare? That he has evidently moved ahead of Liam Plunkett and Saj Mahmood in the pecking order suggests he has something. But however talented you are, making your Test debut is a daunting challenge; a step off the deep end after years splashing about in the shallows of county cricket. And however supportive the selectors may appear to be, if you mess up your big chance, you may never get another.

That's what happened to Gavin Hamilton. In 1999, the Scottish-born all-rounder was one of several new boys picked for Duncan Fletcher's first tour as coach. Making your debut against a rampant South Africa on their turf is never an easy mission. Hamilton faced six balls in either innings without scoring, falling twice to Alan Donald. In between, he bowled fifteen wicketless overs. He didn't play for England again.

During the dark days of the 1990s, Hamilton's fate was a familiar one. Under the pressure of continuing failure, England's selectors rang the changes frequently and desperately, particularly during our bi-annual humiliation by Australia. Left-armer Mike Smith made his Test debut in the middle of one such Ashes debacle. Promoted as the premier exponent of swing bowling in the county game, he was picked for the Third Test at Headingly in 1997. In his third over he had Elliot dropped at slip. Elliot went on to make 199, the game was lost and the wicketless Smith was discarded.

But though a poor debut can mean the swift curtailment of your international ambitions, a good one can seal your reputation and give you the space to adjust to the top flight. Amjad Khan might prefer to dwell on more successful England debuts, such as that of Darren Gough. The Yorkshire quick bowler burst onto the international scene in 1994 with a half century and six wickets against New Zealand. A year later, Dominic Cork destroyed the West Indies with seven wickets at Lords in his first Test

And if needs advice on how to handle the pressure of a Test debut, there are several players in the current squad who might be able to help. England regulars Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook announced their international arrival with centuries, whilst few will forget Kevin Pietersen's explosive defiance in his first Test at Lords in 2005.

If Khan does make his debut, it will be fascinating to see how he gets on. But of more immediate concern to England backers is the state of their team. A mere two days to acclimatise to the heat and humidity of Chennai, not to mention their lack of meaningful cricket over the last fortnight, makes a difficult task that much harder. These realities are reflected in the current odds for the First Test staring on Thursday. England are a massive [10.5] to triumph with India favourites on [1.87] and the draw available at [2.56].