Young leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed thanked skipper Ben Stokes for being kind towards him, Shoaib Bashir and other practising Muslims in the England men’s team.
Rehan, who made a return to England’s Test team after more than a year, revealed a conversation with Stokes where he, along with Bashir, wanted a day off for Friday prayers.
“I remember a time in Abu Dhabi where there was a team day out on a Friday. We had Friday prayers. Obviously, me and Bash [Bashir] were there. I messaged Wayno [Wayne Bentley], the team manager, asking if we could miss this day because we needed to pray.
“Stokes messaged me straight away and said ‘come to me whenever you want about this kind of stuff, I understand it fully’. And yes he’s stuck by his word,” Rehan told BBC Sport.
They don’t care about how bad things can go’
Rehan also thanked Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum for maintaining a healthy team environment. The tweaker said they are fearless and advise spinners to bowl attacking lengths rather than trying to stall the run flow.
“That just shows how great the team environment is. Tommy and Bash, you’ve seen them come in and not be nervous and that’s credit to the team.
“They [Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum] just don’t care about how bad things can go. It’s always about what good you can get out of it.
“So if I bowl four bad balls and get a wicket, that’s better than bowling 16 good balls in a row,” Rehan added.