DESPITE not being attached to a cricket club, Bradford youngster Harees Ikram has been sent for a Yorkshire Schools' trial.
The talents of the Year Six pupil, who has learnt to play by watching his heroes AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn on TV, were spotted by his PE teacher Sajjad Ali at Rainbow Primary School, near the city centre.
He was amazed that Harees, who now wants to emulate Adil Rashid and Ajmal Shahzad by playing for England, had never played cricket with a hard ball before and was not even part of a local club.
Harees was encouraged to enter a recent Bradford Schools' trial, which attracted over 100 youngsters from across the district.
He was then picked as one of the top six to go forward for a Yorkshire Schools' trial, while Lord Taverner’s coaches who were at the trial also invited him to their training sessions.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here