AN England star’s brother has obliterated bowling records aged just 16 – with a TEN-WICKET County Championship debut.
Notts off-spinner Farhan Ahmed became the youngest man to take five wickets, with 7-140, and then ten too, with 3-77 in Surrey’s second innings.
Yet those two feats are far from the only records pouched by Farhan on a stunning start to his cricket career.
It shouldn’t be a surprise as leg-spinning sibling Rehan became England‘s youngest Test debutant in December 2022, facing Pakistan aged 18 years and 126 days.
Now Farhan has followed in Rehan’s footsteps – or his run-up – by setting a new low, age-wise, for Notts in the County Championship.
He walked out at home to Surrey at Trent Bridge on Thursday at the age of 16 years and 189 days.
The visitors won the toss and five of their top six batsmen were caught out off Farhan, although Surrey amassed 525 in total.
His ultimate tally of seven wickets came off 50.4 overs, including six maidens – a monster introduction to the County game.
Farhan then took three more wickets as he bowled right through in Surrey’s second knock – delivering 26 overs in all.
That of course made him the most youthful player to reach 10 as well as five wickets at County Championship level.
He must have a real sniff of making history at Test level too.
He’s already England’s youngest player in the Under-19s World Cup – taking five wickets in four games in South Africa earlier this year.
He then bagged three wickets for England Lions in a first-class contest against Sri Lanka in August.
And Notts had certainly identified his talent early.
Farhan made his second-team debut in May 2022, just three months after his 14th birthday.
He signed a three-and-a-half-year professional contract in June this year.
Farhan made his List A debut a month later, against Leicestershire in the One-Day Cup.
That came aged 16 years 153 days – second youngest in Notts’ all-time list behind Paul Johnson, who did it 32 days younger in 1981.
