A gangling boy from Lancashire had just finished a five-week cricket training programme in Mumbai, days before turning 15. The certificate he received from the academy said Master Haseeb Hameed was hard working and sincere. The highlight, though, was saved for near the end: I would not be surprised if he plays for his country provided he works on his running skills.In December 2011, Hameed was introduced to Vidyadhar Paradkar, a coach in Mumbai, by a local police officer whom Hameeds father, Ismail, knew. The sole purpose of Hameeds trip to India was to learn the basics of the game. Who knew he would make his Test debut in the same country, less than five years later?Paradkar had been eager to head to the Wankhede Stadium for the upcoming Test to watch his pupil bat, not knowing at the time that Hameed himself would be sitting in the stands for the match, an injury having changed his plans. Hameeds injury sent him back home but his huge appetite for the game has made him return to Mumbai to watch the Test alongside his parents.It would have been his first match in Mumbai, so I was eager to watch him, Paradkar says. I have already watched him on TV, but watching at the ground would have been different. I didnt try for the tickets once I knew about his injury, so Im not going anymore.The ball will move around for the first half- to one hour and Haseeb is a great player of fast bowling. So if England batted first and he was playing, he could have scored a hundred by tea. Its a hard track and gd for batsmen like him.Paradkar recalls the time he first met the 14-year-old Hameed and tk him through the fundamentals of the game, and the similarities from then that he saw this year on television.Watching the ball, and that your bat should come down in a line, are the two things I emphasised while working with him, Paradkar says. He picks up things very quickly. When he was playing those Tests, you could see he was watching the ball closely, which is the main criteria of batting.I also told him to rotate the strike; you have to take singles. And now see, he was rotating the strike. Picking the gaps and going to the non-strikers end are his forte.He was a very, very quick learner. Initially he was not playing that straight, so I told him the check drive is the best solution.I gave him some cone drills: keep your bat straight and hit the cone, keep your ft on the line of the ball, bring your bat down in a line, and he did it a hundred times. He would put a ball on a cone and try to hit it in all directions of the ground. He played three club matches at that time and remained not out in all of them. Then I knew he would go a long way.Paradkar, 70, is a low-profile coach in south Mumbai, although he has mentored other international players, including Zaheer Khan and Ajinkya Rahane. He reminiscences about his days with Hameed while sitting in his modest one-bedrm house, surrounded by bks on sportspersons, shiny cricket balls, a bat signed by Sachin Tendulkar, and albums laden with photographs of him coaching.He remembers the dedication with which Hameed put in relentless hours of work. Hameed came back to Paradkar at the end of 2015, in a different avatar and with a new level of commitment. By then he had represented England in Under-19 cricket, including making an unbeaten 91 in Perth, and had over a dozen Youth ODIs under his belt. He had made his first-class debut t, and had scored two half-centuries: a 234-ball 91 against Surrey and 63 against an Essex side that included Alastair Ck.When he came the second time, he was hitting the ball very hard, Paradkar says. It was very hot at that time, so he would carry three to four pairs of gloves. But he would hydrate himself with lots of water and Electral, and he would never put the bat away, not even take his pads off. After finishing his batting, he would take throwdowns, have more hits and then come back to the nets. Usko junn tha [He was obsessed]. He learnt the art of playing spin very well here. There are very gd spinners at the maidan where he played.Paradkar would take Hameed to Cross Maidan, across the road from the Bombay Gymkhana and about a kilometre from Wankhede Stadium. He would have one session from 7.30 to 9.30 and another in the evening from 4 to 6.30. Paradkar saw the strides Hameed had made in the time between his two stints and knew the biggest stage was not far away.He was a much better batsman the second time he came. I was very sure at that time his Test debut would come sn. The way he would use his bat, the way he would play the ball from mid-off to midwicket with a straight bat.My aim was to make him play all over the ground. A batsman who picks the line quickly and moves his feet around is a great batsman. I saw that in Haseeb. I felt he would go miles.Hameed, Paradkar says, was very particular about the nuances of batting. He was inquisitive, curious, experimental and a very gd listener. If the boy had a doubt, he would not hesitate to approach the coach, and would discuss things, in Hindi and English, instead of merely absorbing the answers and following them like rules.If he nicked the ball in the nets, he would ask, What went wrong? Was my bottom hand in the wrong position? Did my bat go to the side? Where was my head? Paradkar remembers.He speaks of the time Hameed tried a new stance. He used to stay on the leg stump. So I told him: a batsman who doesnt know where his off stump is will never become a gd opening batsman. Then he asked me if staying on the off stump would help. I told him that would work if he would not allow the ball to hit the pad.The next time in the nets he tk an off-stump guard and did not take a single ball on the pads. He would experiment, he would try out new things.Paradkar has coached hundreds of players since the 1970s - local boys, Under-19 players, Ranji aspirants, and many more. But in Hameeds case, he says, for the first time he got to learn something from a student. Paradkar saw in Hameeds deftness at being able to think of multiple shots for one delivery shades of a Mumbai batsman who t had trained a lot in the maidans in his teens.No batsman tries to cut a ball thats on the stumps, Paradkar says. But Haseeb takes his right ft back outside leg and then cuts. This is something new I saw. He has got three strokes for one kind of ball - one to the covers, one to mid-on by taking his right ft back, another to midwicket. Then where does the opposition captain place the field? This kind of a batsman makes it big. Sachin Tendulkar was like that.He creates his own shots. I would tell him to make notes, write things down, and he did. That keeps you thinking about the game even when you are not on the field. When you have such students, even coaches can learn from them. I learnt this technique of putting the back ft outside leg and cutting the ball through point from him.Just over six months after that second spell in Mumbai, Hameed climbed the run-scoring charts in the County Championship and was picked for the Bangladesh tour. One step away from the Test cap but realistic enough to not get carried away, even as England scrambled to find yet another opening partner for Ck.When he was leaving for Bangladesh, he called me, saying, I have been selected, I am going. He also said he wasnt sure if he would get to play or not. Then he made his debut in India, that was a great thing. Since then, I havent spoken to him. He is injured now and maybe Ill meet him if I get a call.When they last met, in 2015, Hameed and Paradkar shk hands on meeting at Lords for a Test sometime in the near future. Hameed also expressed his thanks to the coach in a thoughtful, one-page, hand-written letter, where he said that whatever he had learned from Paradkar he would use his whole career.To Paradkar Sir, thank you for all your relentless efforts, dedication and hard work and of course your insight and expertise, knowledge over the last month. I have no doubt I have developed my game a lot under your watchful guidance and I have learnt things from you that I will use throughout my career.That young boy who needed to work on his running has grown up quickly. Jordan 1 Authentic . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. Cheap Jordan Retro 1 For Sale . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity ftball teams. http://www.saleairjordan1.com/jordan-1-retro-high-og.html . Nine days before the opening ceremony, organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said Wednesday that Sochi is "fully ready" and will deliver safe, friendly and well-run games that defy the grim reports that have overshadowed preparations. Air Jordan 1 Wholesale . Ryan Garbutt had a goal and two assists as Dallas snapped a six-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Air Jordan 1 Clearance . Marincin has played in two NHL games so far this season with two penalty minutes. The 21-year-old has three goals, four assists and a plus-5 rating in 24 games with the American Hockey Leagues Oklahoma City Barons this season. DETROIT -- Miguel Cabrera isnt a big fan of social media in September.Shortly after his seventh-inning homer broke a tie and led his Detroit Tigers to a crucial 9-6 victory over the Minnesota Twins, Cabrera talked about keeping negative energy out of the clubhouse.This is dangerous, he said, holding up his cell phone.Even with a $200 million payroll, the Tigers have had an inconsistent season and are in danger of missing the playoffs for a second straight year. They trail the Blue Jays by one game for the second AL wild card, with the Yankees and Mariners only one game back.We hear a lot of bad things about how were not going to make it, Cabrera said. Ive been here a lot of years and Ive been through this, but weve got a lot of new guys who think about it and read stuff. I tell them not to worry.This is fun. Weve got a chance to make the playoffs. Thats what you play for.The Tigers trailed 5-2 in the fourth inning, but put together the offensive performance theyve been missing while losing five of seven. Ian Kinsler had four hits, finishing a homer short of the cycle, and drove in three runs while scoring two.We had a tough loss last night, so we knew we had to come back and win this one, Cabrera said. We did it, and now we have to do it tomorrow.Brian Dozier and Kurt Suzuki homered for the Twins.Both starting pitchers made early exits. Minnesotas Tyler Duffey allowed six runs in 3 2/3 innings, while Anibal Sanchez gave up six in four-plus.Shane Greene (5-4) got the win, while Ryan Pressly (6-7) tk the loss after surrendering Cabreras homer.Bruce Rondon pitched the eighth for Detroit, while Francisco Rodriguez put up a perfect ninth for his 42nd save.After Sanchez struck out the side in the first, Kinsler and Cameron Maybin gave the Tigers the lead with back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the inning. Kinslers RBI single in the second doubled the lead.Sanchez retired the first nine batters in order, but Dozier launched his first pitch of the fourth into the left-field stands for his 41st homer. The next three batters singled, with Kennys Vargas driving home Jorge Polanco to tie the game.Suzuki then made it 5-2 with a homer down the left-field line, but the Tigers came back in the bottom of the inning.Justin Upton walked and scored on Andrew Romines RBI single before Kinsler and Maybin hit back-to-back triples to tie the game.We scored enough runs in the top of the fourth to win the game, and I gave it right back, Duffey said. When you are facing that offense, when you miss, they dont. They got rolling, and I couldnt stop it.Twins manager Paul Molitor knew his team was in trouble after the walk to Upton. The Tigers leftfielder only has a .296 onn-base percentage this year, with 40 walks against 165 strikeouts.ddddddddddddWhen you get a big inning and get a lead, you want your pitcher to go out there and shut them down, Molitor said. That walk was a bad sign, but he still had two outs and could have gotten off the field if he gets Kinsler or Maybin.J.T. Chargois replaced Duffey and allowed a tiebreaking single to Cabrera, but Sanchez couldnt hold the lead. He walked Byron Buxton to start the fifth and Dozier followed with a double to make it 6-6.Alex Wilson got out of the inning without further damage, and the two bullpens were able to settle the game down until Cabreras homer off Pressly with one out in the seventh.The Tigers added two more runs in the eighth on Kinslers second RBI single and a wild pitch.TRAINERS RMTwins: 3B Miguel Sano missed his second straight game with back stiffness. Hes expected back for Minnesotas weekend series against the Mets. . Suzuki left the game in the eighth injury with a lacerated chin after being hit in the mask by a foul tip. Molitor said hes day-to-day, but might see action at DH while the injury heals.Tigers: RHP Jordan Zimmermann threw an 80-pitch simulated game Wednesday afternn in an attempt to fix his mechanics and get back into the rotation. Due to assorted injuries, Zimmermann has only started twice since June and didnt escape the second inning either time. ... 3B Nick Castellanos (broken hand) batted once against Zimmermann before taking himself out of the lineup. He hopes to be back before the end of the regular season.ODD DEFENSIVE LINEUPZimmermann, who mostly faced September call-ups in his simulated game, didnt get a lot of help from his defense. Instead of one of baseballs best double-play combinations in Ian Kinsler and Jose Iglesias, Zimmermann had his fellow pitchers backing him up. Rkie of the Year favorite Michael Fulmer made a nice running catch on a pop up into shallow right, but Mike Pelfrey, Mark Lowe and Justin Verlander werent impressive as infielders.OLYMPIC WEEK CONTINUESFor the third straight day, an Olympic medalist from Rio threw out the first pitch. On Wednesday, it was New Zealands Nick Willis, who won the bronze medal in the 1,500-meter run. Willis spent his college career at the University of Michigan, and still lives in Ann Arbor.UP NEXTThe teams conclude their four-game series with the Tigers Mike Pelfrey (4-9, 4.76) facing the Twins Hector Santiago (11-8, 4.75). Pelfrey hasnt pitched in a big-league game since July 30 due to a back injury, and is expected to be on a 60-pitch limit. ' ' '