England never announced itself loudly. It arrived in glances, in conversations that stopped when you walked past, in coaches standing just a little closer during net sessions.
Zayn Rahman felt it before he saw it.
It started at Loughborough. A mid-season ECB performance camp, officially labelled as "conditioning and workload management." Unofficially, it was a holding pen for players hovering just outside international selection.
Names were everywhere.
Zak Crawley stretching beside him in the gym. Ollie Robinson laughing loudly near the bowling machines. Ben Duckett shadow batting in front of a mirror. Rehan Ahmed rolling his shoulder, already comfortable in these spaces despite his age.
Zayn didn't speak much. He didn't need to. His bat and ball were doing that work for him.
The first net session was batting-focused. Red ball. Fresh bowlers rotated constantly. Chris Woakes sent the ball swinging in. Mark Wood followed, pace brutal and unforgiving.
Zayn's approach didn't change.
He left well. Defended late. When Wood dropped short, Zayn pulled him cleanly, not aggressively, just enough to remind everyone he could.
The system pulsed quietly.
[Batting Mode: Root Template – Elite Simulation]
[Decision Accuracy: 97%]
A murmur followed him as he walked out.
The bowling session came next. Zayn took the ball after Robinson. Different style, same threat. Where Robinson hit the pitch hard, Zayn shaped it late. Swing, not violence.
Duckett edged one behind. Crawley was beaten three times in a row, unsure whether to play or leave.
Jimmy Anderson stood at the side of the nets, arms folded, watching without expression.
That mattered.
No feedback came immediately. It never did.
The following day, the camp shifted formats. White ball. Shorter spells. Clearer intent.
Zayn opened again in a practice T20 against a mixed attack. Adil Rashid spun from one end. Moeen Ali from the other. This was no audition. This was evaluation.
Zayn didn't slog. He rotated strike, targeted the shorter side, waited for Moeen to drop fractionally short.
Six. Clean. Effortless.
Rashid tried the googly next. Zayn picked it early and nudged it behind square for four.
The system adapted.
[White-Ball Pattern Recognition: Enhanced]
Later, with the ball, Zayn was given the new white Kookaburra. One over. That was all.
He bowled full. Swinging in. Dot. Dot. Single. Dot. Yorker.
The batter exhaled loudly.
One over was enough.
That evening, Zayn sat at the back of the team room as England staff discussed the upcoming schedules. Ashes chatter floated through the room, never direct, never promised.
Australia loomed in every conversation.
Back at Lancashire, the attention followed him. Cameras lingered. Reporters waited longer than usual.
The Championship match against Warwickshire became another test. Edgbaston again. Different pressure.
Zayn failed with the bat in the first innings. Twenty-two. Bowled by one that straightened.
No panic.
With the ball, he responded. Long spells. Swinging it both ways. Two wickets early, one late.
Lancashire forced a draw.
After the match, the England question arrived again.
"You're being talked about as a potential Ashes option. Does that change how you play?"
Zayn shook his head.
"The Ashes don't change you," he said. "They expose you."
That line travelled.
That night, as Zayn packed his kit, his phone buzzed.
Lauren Bell.
Saw the nets at Loughborough. You looked comfortable.
Zayn typed back after a moment.
Trying to belong before being picked.
Three dots appeared. Then disappeared.
That's the right order.
The system logged it.
[Romantic Progression: 6% – Mutual Respect]
The email arrived two days later.
England. Extended squad. Standby status.
Not selected.
Not ignored.
Standby.
Zayn read it carefully, then closed his laptop.
He stepped outside, the evening air cool against his face. This was the space between ambition and arrival. Between being noticed and being chosen.
England were watching now.
That was enough.
For the moment.
End of Chapter 4
Author's Comment
Chapter 4 focuses on proximity to England rather than arrival. Zayn is tested across formats against real international players, reinforcing his three-format viability. The Ashes remain a looming presence, not a promise. Romance continues to develop naturally through shared understanding and timing rather than escalation.