Haseeb Hameed named Nottinghamshire captain for Royal London Cup

Haseeb Hameed will captain Nottinghamshire in the Royal London One-Day Cup this summer, after being named the club's vice-captain.

Hameed, 24, joined Nottinghamshire from Lancashire ahead of the 2020 season, after three lean years at Old Trafford which followed his breakthrough as a Test opener on their tour to India in 2016-17.

He has been limited to five first-team appearances so far on account of the Covid-19 pandemic and its effect on the English season last year, but made three half-centuries in the Bob Willis Trophy and averaged 38.85.

The Royal London Cup will be played at the same time as the Hundred this summer, meaning Nottinghamshire will be without at least nine first-team players, the most of any county alongside Surrey. Among them is Steven Mullaney, the club captain, which means that Hameed will be given the opportunity to lead a young side in his absence.

Several other counties will also be without their usual club captains during the Royal London Cup, including Glamorgan (Chris Cooke), Hampshire (James Vince), Kent (Sam Billings), Leicestershire (Colin Ackermann), Northamptonshire (Josh Cobb), Somerset (Tom Abell) and Surrey (Rory Burns).

While Hameed's slow-scoring style earned him the moniker 'Baby Boycott' early in his career, he has a solid recent in 50-over cricket, averaging 34.75 across three Royal London Cup campaigns for Lancashire, albeit at a strike rate of 78.08.

"It's an honour to be handed the responsibility of being vice-captain and I'm also really looking forward to the challenge of leading a talented young team into the Royal London Cup," Hameed said.

"I love playing under Mull [Mullaney] and - whether it be by scoring runs with the bat, keeping the lads going during tough periods in the field or being involved tactically - I'll be doing everything I can to contribute to the team in red-ball cricket.

"As captain in the 50-over game, we have a proud record in white-ball competitions as a club and that's something we'll be determined to continue."

Peter Moores, the club's head coach, said: "Hass became a popular member of the group very quickly. He has an infectious enthusiasm for the game, has raised the bar with his fitness and the intensity of his practice and he's thrown himself into life as a Notts player.

"We informed the lads the other day about the decision to make him vice-captain, and the positive, supportive way they reacted was great to see. He'll grow as a result of this experience and we believe he's a player with an exciting future, both as a leader and with the bat."

Dan Christian, the Australian allrounder, has captained Notts in the T20 Blast since 2016, leading them to the title in 2017 and 2020. His availability for 2021 is in doubt after he was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL auction, with the competition's latter stages set to overlap with the start of the Blast season. The club are yet to confirm any overseas signings for this season.