HASEEB Hameed’s father believes his son has some of the hallmarks of England legend Geoffrey Boycott.

Bolton batsman Haseeb is the talk of cricket after becoming England’s youngest opener ever in the first Test in India in which he shone with 82 runs in the second innings and 31 in the first.

His dad Ismail Hameed, who is widely credited for being the single biggest influence behind Haseeb career, grew up in the same Indian state of Gujarat where his son made his debut last week.

Boycott was his cricketing hero mainly because of his resolute defensive style and ability to protect his wicket.

Those are qualities he sees in his 19-year-old son who has already been given the nickname Baby Boycott by some.

“Haseeb is a mix of Geoff Boycott, Mohammad Azharuddin, Joe Root,” said Ismail who taught Haseeb the game and has coached him throughout his career.

“When he defends he is like Baby Boycott, when he attacks he is like someone else.

“He has a lot of shots and when he time comes you will see he can play good shots as well.”

Former Bolton School student Haseeb, who played for Tonge and Farnworth Social Circle in the Bolton League before becoming a star for Lancashire last year, has his parents and brothers with him watching from the stands in India.

“I had tears of happiness [watching Haseeb play for England]. If he does well I makes me feel good in the inside and makes me more emotional, which is natural being a dad,” Ismail told the BBC.

“I want to follow Haseeb around [the tour of India] because I coach him I want to see if he makes any mistakes.

“He’s only 19, when the time comes he will get a lot of runs for England.”

Haseeb’s brother Safwaan, a junior cricket coach at Lancashire, said the family had been astounded at the speed of Haseeb’s rise to the international stage.

“It is just surreal,” he said. “We expected him to play for England at some stage because we know he is very talented, but to play at 19 is beyond our wildest imagination.

“He is a very determined character. He believes in his own ability and he gets that from his dad who is always giving him that confidence.”