TWO Bolton youngsters have been boosted by a masterclass with Alastair Cook as they prepare to travel to Australia with England’s under-19s.

Haseeb Hameed and Matt Parkinson – along with Rochdale’s Saqib Mahmood – met the England captain during a pre-tour training camp at the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough.

“It’s the first time I’ve met him, and to be honest one of the things that struck me most was how different he was from how he’s perceived,” said Hameed, the 18-year-old batting prodigy who made such a big impression when he was fast-tracked into the England under-19s at home to South Africa last summer.

“I know the other lads thought the same. You think he’s quite a reserved kind of guy and he’s obviously had a lot to deal with in the last year, but the biggest impression was how good a bloke he is. For me as a batsman, the way he spoke about his cricket and related it was very helpful.”

The squad, led by the former Somerset coach Andy Hurry, leave this week and play five one-day matches as well as a four-day Test at the famous WACA ground against an Australia under-19s side coached by the former England batsman Graeme Hick, who has settled in Queensland.

“There’s not long left now, only a couple of weeks, and I’m really looking forward to it,” added Hameed, who started playing cricket at Tonge before moving on to Farnworth Social Circle.

“I’ve never been there before but I’ve spoken to a couple of lads who have and they say it’s a great place to play cricket.

"I was part of the under-17s squad last winter, so to get the call-up to the 19s against South Africa was an honour and for it to go like it did was even better. This is another challenge."

Bolton School student Hameed added: “It’s great to be one of three from Lancashire in the squad. I’ve known Matty since the under-11s, we came through the whole junior system together.

"Saq is slightly different, he joined at under-14s, but we all joined the Academy together.”

Parkinson, a leg-spinner, played Minor Counties cricket last summer for Staffordshire and is originally from Heaton.

He also went to Bolton School before switching to Canon Slade to study for his A levels which he will be taking in the next few weeks.

All three players signed professional contracts with Lancashire during the winter.

Cook, who was a prolific batsman at this level himself, said: “It’s been great to spend time with the 19s before they go to Australia.

“It was interesting for me to see the next generation and see what level they are at. I’m pretty sure we will see a few England players from this group.

“It took me back to when I was an under-19. Eleven or 12 years ago I was in the same boat, dreaming of playing professional cricket, so it was great to come back.”