Bolton cricketer Haseeb Hameed believes a new attacking approach in his game can fit in to a similar style adopted by England’s Test side under captain Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum.

The former Tonge and Farnworth Social Circle star was dropped from the Test side after the 4-0 Ashes thrashing in Australia in 2021/22.

But the form of the ex-Lancashire star in the County Championship for Nottinghamshire last season helped them to the Division Two title has rekindled hope of a recall.

And as he prepares to captain the England Lions on their tour of Sri Lanka, alongside fellow former Social Circle batsman, Lancashire’s Josh Bohannon, Hameed is hoping that form will continue and impress the Test selectors.

The opening batter’s strike-rate in his 10 Tests to date is 32.02 and his previous defensive approach earned him the nickname ‘Baby Boycott’ in a nod to former England batter, Sir Geoffrey Boycott.

However, Hameed’s strike-rate for Nottinghamshire last season was 62.40 and he says scoring more quickly has been his aim since losing his Test place.

Now aged 26, Hameed told Sky Sports: “I came back from that Australia tour and was clear how I was going to go about my game - look to score runs at every opportunity and accept the fact that everyone gets out.

“We [England] went into our shells a bit. We got a bit defensive, a bit ‘survival mode’ and as a result we all suffered.

“Now it’s almost like, if in doubt you take the other option, you try and put the pressure back on them. You take the positive option and you’ll be backed for it.

“That’s a key change in our cricket system in general. The interesting thing for me is it coincides with a similar shift that I’ve made at a similar time.

“You have your typical Test match opener, which is what I was trying to play like before, but there is also a side of me - which maybe a few more people have seen now - that enjoys hitting the ball.

“Especially against some of the best bowlers in the world you’re going to face good balls that will get you out, so the other balls you may as well try to cash in, score runs and put the opposition under pressure.

“That is what I’ve tried to do. I took that into the season with Notts and it was a good season for me.

“The way I look at things, I had one bad tour but a lot of very, very good players have had one bad tour. Why can’t I get better? It’s happened, but it’s not the complete journey. I’m not 35, 36.

“I’ve got another 15 years of cricket left in me. I’m hoping a long period of that is playing international cricket for England, that has never changed.”

England have won nine of their 10 Tests since Stokes succeeded Joe Root as captain and Hameed says he will look to follow the senior skipper’s lead in Sri Lanka in two Tests against Sri Lanka A following a three-day warm-up against an SLC Board XI which starts next Wednesday.

The ex-Red Rose man added: “I’ll have my own style of course, but the brand that Stokesy and Co have implemented is now the England brand, whether you’re with the Lions or the Test side.

“This whole idea of playing to win and being prepared to lose the game in order to win, 100 per cent I’ll try to replicate that.”