There had been talk going into this Lord's Test that a young English legspinner might win his chance to impress.

But it wasn't Mason Crane who stuck out in the nets ahead of the third and final Test. It was an even younger legspinner named Rehan Ahmed.

Rehan is just 13. But such is his talent that, for the second year in succession, he was invited by MCC to bowl at the Test teams as they prepared for the Lord's Test.

Last year he bowled so well that he dismissed Ben Stokes. But MCC felt that, in light of his age, any media coverage would be unhelpful and politely requested he be given time away from the spotlight. That will come soon enough.

But this year he was back and bowled beautifully, troubling several batsmen in the nets.

He can bat, too. He recently made an unbeaten 150 in a county game and, given the opportunity to face one ball from Jason Holder in the nets, charged down the pitch and drove him back over his head.

"He is an exceptional, precocious talent," Steve Kirby, the head coach of MCC told ESPNcricinfo. "And one we should nurture and not over-coach.

"Nottinghamshire are doing a great job with him at present. We all just want to allow him to play and flourish. We don't want to do anything to crush the wonderful enthusiasm he has at the moment.

"Why is he here? Well, we thought he would enjoy bowling at the England and West Indies players. But more importantly, it's all part of our attempts to build relationships with the south Asian communities. Hopefully seeing Rehan's success will inspire other boys and girls to follow in his footsteps."

Rehan came to the attention of Nottinghamshire when his father, Naeem, brought him to open trials at the club as an eight-year-old. He was soon drafted into the Under-10 side and, this season, was deemed good enough to play for the U17s on occasions. He has two brothers, one older who is a decent seamer, and one younger, who is a spinner (he is 10 and bowls a lovely doosra).

"Mushtaq Ahmed was just walking past the nets last summer and, when he saw Rehan bowl, he stopped in his tracks," Naeem says. "He came back to watch and was obviously very impressed."

His advice? "He said 'Just bowl and don't take too much notice of what any coaches say.'"

"There is a perception that we over-coach in England," Gemaal Hussain, the former Gloucestershire and Somerset seamer who is now working as an MCC scout, agreed. "These boys have learned the game in their garden. They have a natural talent that is born of playing the game they love with fun and freedom."

It took Hussain years to break into the first-class game. He spent nights sleeping in his car and months driving around the country in pursuit of opportunities until finally, aged 25, he got his break with Gloucestershire. Things should be considerably easier for those of Rehan's generation.