61 for 1

AHMED

MEHRAJ AHMED - RIGHT-HAND BAT, RIGHT-ARM FAST/FAST-MEDIUM

Born: Birmingham, 5 January 1989

Portrait of Mehraj Ahmed.

County Championship match for Worcestershire, versus Sussex, Hove, 11, 12, 13 and 14 August 2009.

Innings: 2; Not out: 2; Runs: 0; Highest score: 0 not out; Caught: 0; Wickets: 0; Best bowling: 0-31.

Sussex won by eight wickets. Worcestershire were dismissed for 256 and no visiting batsman reached the half-century mark. Batting at number 11, Ahmed was nought not out as Luke Wright took 5-66 for Sussex, who then scored 280 in reply. They were indebted to wicket-keeper Andrew Hodd's 73. Matt Mason (7-60) was the pick of the Worcestershire bowlers while Ahmed's four overs cost 31 as he went wicketless.

A score 67 (out of a total of 235) from Steven Davies was the highlight of Worcestershire's second innings, with Ahmed finishing nought not out once more. Sussex then made light work of the 211-run victory target, reaching it for the loss of just two wickets with a day to spare. Opener Chris Nash made a run-a-ball 100 not out and Ed Joyce 53. Ahmed went wicketless again, his five overs costing 42 runs.

Mehraj Ahmed was educated at Kingsbury School in Tamworth and was from a sporting family. Both his grandfather and father were keen bodybuilders, a tradition that Ahmed has maintained. He works as a private bodyguard, gym instructor and personal trainer and competes in weightlifting competitions across Europe. He is currently training to be a firefighter.

Ahmed working out at the gym.

Ahmed's father, Altaf, represented Pakistan at volleyball. Sadly, ill health means that Altaf does not recall the details of when he played.

Altaf Ahmed, seated on the extreme right.

Ahmed joined Worcestershire after a trial and became a product of their academy. He had a strong physique and his raw talent was recognised by Worcestershire stalwart Stuart Lampitt, who was an admirer of his ability to bowl with great pace. Ahmed had also been friends with the Ali family since his school days and cites Kabir Ali's father, Munir, and Moeen's father, Shabbir, as strong influences and supporters of his early career.

Ahmed played Birmingham League cricket for Barnt Green, Walsall, West Bromwich Dartmouth, and Attock. He spoke very fondly of his time at Barnt Green, where he credits former Warwickshire seamer Dougie Brown and Worcestershire spinner Richard Illingworth for nurturing his talent.

Ahmed first represented Worcestershire with the under-17s, against Leicestershire under-17s at Rutland in 2005 - a single-innings match. He took 1-36 from his 10 overs. His best performance for the under-17s came in August of the same year but this time it was with the bat; he scored 66 (batting at number eight) against Huntingdonshire at The Parks, Godmanchester. This was also a single-innings game in which Worcestershire amassed 393. The game ended in a draw.

In June 2006, Ahmed made his 2nd XI trophy debut in the Zone C game against Warwickshire at Ombersley. It resulted in a 129-run defeat, with Moeen Ali scoring 107 for the visitors before he fell to a catch by Will Gifford off Ahmed's bowling. In all, Ahmed played 20 matches in the competition from 2006 to 2009, with best figures of 3-14 in the game against Gloucestershire at Bristol in 2008.

In August 2006, Ahmed made his 2nd XI Championship debut in a drawn match against Kent at Canterbury. The Worcestershire side included Daryl Mitchell, who went on to have an outstanding first-class career, and James Taylor, who played Test cricket until a heart condition almost claimed his life and cut short his career. Ahmed's best figures were 3-51 against Northamptonshire in August 2008 and 3-74 against Middlesex the following month.

In 2007, Worcestershire's academy director Damian D'Oliveira recommended Ahmed for a place in the England under-19 squad. Ahmed subsequently made his debut against Derbyshire 2nd XI at The Copper Yard Ground, Denby Village on 6 September. The game ended in an eight-wicket victory. In the England fixture, Ahmed went wicketless but played in a side that included James Taylor, Liam Dawson, Alex Hales, Benny Howell and Sam Northeast, it was Stuart Meaker who caught his attention during that time. Ahmed told me, 'I thought Meaker was going to be the next big thing. He could bowl very quickly on his day.'

Slightly better luck followed in his second game, when Ahmed claimed 1-57 from six overs in a two-wicket victory against Gloucestershire 2nd XI. A sign that his stock was rising was an item in the club's annual report published early in 2008, which stated that 'Moeen Ali, Mehraj Ahmed and Richard Jones were invited to a camp at the National Centre of Excellence made up of the most promising 62 young and emerging players in county cricket in late June.'

Ahmed took 4-56 in a friendly game for Worcestershire 2nd XI versus Cardiff University Centre of Cricketing Excellence in mid-April 2008, which suggested better things were to follow. On 5 May he made his List A debut in Worcestershire's rain-affected home game against Glamorgan in the Friends Provident Trophy, which Worcestershire won by seven wickets, bowling opener David Hemp for 47 to finish with 1-34 from his three overs.

Ahmed in action during his Friends Provident Trophy debut.

Ahmed has very fond memories of his fledgling career at New Road and said that he always tried to bring an energy to the dressing room and motivate those around him. He gained a reputation for playing loud music. 'I was given the nickname of "Mini Kab" (after Kabir Ali) and Gareth Batty called me Michael Jackson because of my love of music and my dance moves,' he said.

'I got on well with Simon Jones. We were kindred spirits [and] he became my mentor. We had both got into scrapes in our younger days but enjoyed each other's company and as a result we would share a room whenever we travelled.

'I was, though, a little wary of Vikram [Solanki], the captain at first. He didn't like slacking so I made sure I was on time, well prepared and had clean kit. I had a lot of respect for him once I got over that initial uncertainty.'

Just two days after the Friends Provident game against Glamorgan, Ahmed made his first-class debut in the drawn match against Loughborough University Centre of Excellence at Chester Road, Kidderminster. In the first innings a catch to dismiss Alan Cope off Garth Batty's bowling was followed by a first, first-class wicket when Michael Baer was caught by Moeen Ali for 51. Ahmed finished with the respectable figures of 1-28 from eight overs.

The second innings followed a similar pattern, with a second catch off Gareth Batty's bowling to dismiss Matt Spriegel. This was followed by the wicket of Cope again, caught behind by Steven Davies without score.

It was not until the August of 2009 that Ahmed made his County Championship debut. He and Gareth Batty were the two changes to the side that had been beaten by Warwickshire in the previous round of fixtures. Alexei Kervezee and Richard Jones missed out.

I spoke to Ahmed's former teammate, Gareth Andrew, about his bowling and he gave me an invaluable insight.

'What a nice guy! He was very quick and could swing the ball both ways when he got it right. He was capable of a wonder spell then could not repeat it, which was hugely frustrating. I did not like to face him in the nets because he was too unpredictable, especially if he got one to swing in at the left-hander.

'He had problems with his run-up and lost it at one point. Academy Director, Damian D'Oliveira even suggested he close his eyes to run in and visualise in his mind what he was doing. he did. and it came out well, so it became a running joke that he should do it in a match situation.'

The Worcestershire squad in 2008. Ahmed is standing at the back, third from the left.

The frustrations that Gareth Andrew articulated were borne out in The Sports Argus report of 13 July, which covered the Championship game at Hove.

'The trouble for the Pears was [that] Mason could not bowl at both ends. Gareth Andrew persevered and finished with two wickets but Imran Arif and debutant Mehraj Ahmed were expensive, and with the pitch showing little signs of deterioration Sussex will fancy their chances of chasing anything around 250.'

Just two days prior to the game The Worcester News had reported that Ahmed would be leaving New Road at the end of the season.

Ahmed said, 'It was a very difficult decision for me to go and ask Worcestershire if I could speak to other counties. I firmly believe that you only get one shot in life and you must make the most of what you are given. It would have been easy for me to stay in my comfort zone and take the money, but that is not the issue for me.

'Since I spoke to Mark Newton (Worcestershire's chief executive) about speaking to other clubs I have had quite a bit of interest from other counties, some that have already been reported and others that have not.

'It was a little upsetting that all this has been made public in the way it has; it was never my intention to tout myself about through the press. I felt I wanted to explore my options and see what is available to me.'

I asked Ahmed to sum up how he viewed his career at 17 years of age.

'I was clocked bowling at 87mph but a persistent...