Peter Moores says Nottinghamshire’s winter recruit Haseeb Hameed has settled into his move well, despite seeing his debut delayed by COVID-19.
Hameed joined the Green & Golds from Lancashire at the end of the 2019 season, putting pen to paper on a two-year contract.
And the Head Coach believes Trent Bridge is the venue where the right-hander, who starred at the top of the England order as a teenager in 2016, will ‘master his craft’.
“Haseeb has fitted in really well. As a club, Nottinghamshire feels like a good fit for him,” said Moores.
“He is someone who wants to master his craft. He loves the game and loves batting, and we embrace that. We want to help him work through things and find a way.
“For most players, you are trying to find the simplicity you had at the start of your career, which is often just to watch the ball and play it.
“The more you get into the game, the more you try to explore things. That’s when it can become more complicated.
“You definitely learn, of course, but you can also become slightly less consistent because of the different things you come across. I think that is what’s happened to Haseeb.
“He is hopefully getting to the point where he’s had some tough years after a really prolific spell, but is now starting to get back to the things he does really well. Those are watching the ball hard, using his soft hands and accumulating runs.
“Those are the things you need to be a successful longer format player.
“We have a lot of young players in our squad, and he’s got the chance to be a part of that and to emerge over the next few years to play well for his county and country.”
Despite the delay to Hameed’s debut, Moores says the Boltonian has been able to find positives from the situation, something he has praised all of his Nottinghamshire players for doing.
Moores added: “The majority of the county guys are different to the international guys. They’ve had a long time waiting to play since last September. So, it’s a much more frustrating feel for them and tough to take. It’s very hard.
“Haseeb is definitely ready to play, but there is a pat on the back for him and all our guys from me for getting stuck into some other things that they enjoy.
“He has enjoyed Ramadan at home with his family. That’s something he wouldn’t normally get the chance to do because he would be playing.
“We’ve also had the chance to set Zoom up and talk cricket, which is something we both love to do.”