James Anderson believes England's rising star Haseeb Hameed has an even better opener's technique than national-record Test runscorer Alastair Cook.
Anderson was relishing the prospect of bowling to Cook until a sore hip ruled the former Test captain out of opening the batting against Lancashire at Chelmsford on Friday when the new County Championship season gets under way.
He will have to content himself with trying to follow up his figures of 11-5-10-5 in Lancashire's 340-run victory over Cambridge University and watching Hameed again demonstrate the potential which was so evident in three Tests in India before a badly broken finger intervened last December.
Hameed had another injury scare in that warm-up match at Fenner's, and briefly feared he might have broken the same little finger again while fielding.
After scans, the 20-year-old is expected to be fit to start Lancashire's Division One campaign.
And Anderson for one does not expect it to be long before he is racking up the runs to press his claims for an immediate return alongside Cook when England next play Test cricket against South Africa at Lord's in July.
"His ability and his talent is frightening for such a young lad, so I think he'll cope with anything," said Anderson.
"I know Cookie is the leading runscorer - but I'd say he is a better, more technically sound opening batsman than Cook."
As for next winter's Ashes, again Anderson expects Hameed to be up to the challenge - however Australia try to discomfit him.
"I'm sure they will throw everything they've got at him - certainly with pace, short balls, aggression, verbals - I'm sure they'll go at him," he said.
"They usually pick on the young guys - but with his calm nature, I think he'll be able to handle it."
There is one Australian opponent, however, who is already giving Anderson a few more greys.
As with Cook, whom he has dismissed in each of just three matches he has played against him over the years, he feels like he can get prolific captain Steve Smith out.
The only snag is that it rarely seems to turn out that way.
"You think you've got a chance with him all the time, but he's a really talented batsman," Anderson said.
"You think you can get him out (all sorts of ways) - you think you can york him leg-stump, because he walks that far across. But he manages to get bat on it."
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