Razzle-dazzle Rehan Ahmed's upturn in performance could be enough to get him to Australia

As the Hundred fires into primary-coloured summer action, all free T-shirts and AI fan photos, I have been putting my feet up, coffee in one hand, notebook in the other, chewing over the County Championship season to date.

- Tanya Aldred

As the Hundred fires into primary-coloured summer action, all free T-shirts and AI fan photos, I have been putting my feet up, coffee in one hand, notebook in the other, chewing over the County Championship season to date. If the notebook has proved a bitter disappointment, scribbled with long-forgotten three for 67s, the ruminations have been fun. It's been a season of surprises - Leicestershire! Lancashire! - and memorable moments, from Tom Banton's 371 in the first game to Ian Botham's thunder and fury over Somerset's field-of-onions pitch for the game against Durham.

But in all the gin joints, in all the towns, the one player to have left the biggest impression is young, still so young Rehan Ahmed - who celebrated his 21st birthday two days ago.

Ahmed, you'll remember, made a precocious debut for England in Karachi in December 2022, aged just 18 years and 126 days, breaking Brian Close's record - which is quite some feat in itself.

With his wheeling leg-breaks he fizzed five for 48 in the second innings, to help England to an eight-wicket victory, and looked feet-on-the-sofa at home in the Bazball set-up. Since then, another four Tests, plus six ODIs and 10 T20s, but nothing since last autumn.