BOLTON batting star Haseeb Hameed has revealed how the heartbreak of not being selected for England’s under-19s World Cup squad earlier this year has driven him on to his greatest achievement.

Hameed was yesterday named in England’s Test squad for next month’s two-match series in Bangladesh after a stunning run of form for Lancashire in the County Championship.

The 19-year-old has scored 1,129 runs in 15 matches for the Red Rose in his first full season of first-team cricket, including four hundreds.

But this year hasn’t all been plain sailing for the Bolton School graduate.

“Nine months ago was probably the lowest point, being left out of the England Under-19 World Cup squad to go to Bangladesh.” he said.

“I was expected to go, and I’d put my mind to it, so to be told I wasn't going was pretty heartbreaking.

“I remember how low we all felt, me and my family. Breaking the news to them was especially tough.

“To have been able to bounce back from that, it motivated me. There was definitely a desire in myself to achieve great things because of that.

“To now go to the place where the World Cup was held nine months on with the main England side is incredible. It is pretty surreal.

“It is important to taste that adversity because you appreciate the good times more. It also helps you realise what it takes to get to a certain level.

“I had another moment when I was 14 when I suffered my first major dip in form.

“It showed me that I needed to keep working hard to get better and better.”

Hameed’s cricketing life started as a five-year-old with his dad and coach Ismail throwing balls to him in the living room at their Halliwell home and continued in the Bolton League at Tonge and Farnworth Social Circle.

Now, he will be opening the batting alongside Alastair Cook in the first Test at Chittagong on October 20.

“I’m absolutely delighted to have got the call, there’s a lot of different emotions that have come together,” he added.

“You think about the lows that you face, and this is one of the absolute highs. Just looking at my parents’ faces was very emotional.

“It’s amazing how quickly things happen, there’s no barrier to you achieving your goals as long as you put the work in.”