Rashid focuses on white-ball action and plays down talk of Test return
England spinner Adil Rashid has distanced himself from a return to Test cricket, suggesting that he is ‘a long way away’ from resurrecting his red-ball career.
Rashid is an essential part of England’s one-day and Twenty20 plans but last appeared in the longer format three-and-a-half years ago.
He has not played at firstclass level since, settling into a white-ball specialist’s contract at Yorkshire, but the idea of bringing the 34-year-old back into the fray was floated byheadcoachBrendonMcCullum shortly after his appointment earlier this summer.
McCullum has already persuadedMoeenAlitoreversehis Testretirement,withaneyeon this winter’s tour of Pakistan, but appears to have a tougher job on his hands with Rashid.
Speaking ahead of England’s first Twenty20 against South Africa in Bristol, the start of their fourth limitedovers series this month, he said: “My mindset has stayed the same. A lot has got to happen for me to play Test cricket.
“You’ve got to have that communicationwiththecoach and captain, and you’ve got to sit down and see where I’m at. Let’s see what happens, but that’s a long way away. It’s not quiteeasyformetosay‘yes’and ‘no’. I take it a game at a time, a day at a time. But at the moment I’m not thinking about that, I’m only thinking about white-ball cricket, because that’s what is ahead of us.
“Cricket’scomingthickand
fast.Thisseries,thenTheHundred,T20sinPakistan…there’s a lot of cricket to be played in the meantime and a lot can happen in terms of form, how someone feels, injuries, how the body feels, the mindset.”
Like so many leg-break bowlers,Rashidhasnotalways been treated sympathetically by England and his return of 60 wickets in 19 Tests, at an average approaching 40, feels
like an unfinished business. But while Rashid has modest returns in whites, there is no question that he is the man South Africa’s batters will be most wary of when they lineupattheSeatUniqueStadium.
It is tempting to wonder whether McCullum and Test skipper Ben Stokes would be able to unlock his best form withtheirproactiveapproach, but the idea of long days and mammoth spells could be a deterrent for a player who has battled long and hard with shoulder problems.
“That’s what you have to sign up for – those long days where you can bowl 30 or 40 overs,” Rashid added.
“That’ssomethingI’vegotto bear in mind, especially with my shoulder. I haven’t bowled long spells in a little while.”
Englandwerejoinedatnets lastweekby17-year-oldLeicestershire leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed, the Under-19 international who is on the up after securing a Hundred contract with Southern Brave earlier this year and a maiden Lions call-up this month.
Rashid, himself a teenage prodigy when he first broke through at Headingley, worked long and hard with the newcomerandwasimpressed enoughtoconsiderhimnotonlyapotentialsuccessorbutalso a possible team-mate.
“Playing for England together? That would be nice. It wouldmeanI’llbearoundfora couple of years!,” he said,
“Who knows? He’s 17 and he’s definitely got a bright future ahead of him if he keeps working on his skills. He’s a confident kid as well, so hopefully he’ll have a good career.”