Birthday special: Adil Rashid – A rarity in England’s spin history
England cricket has rarely produced leg-spinners. For the longest, leg-spinners could come as far as a county team and that’s all. But, Adil Rashid will definitely go down as one of the best leg-spinners of England, if not the best ever. Not just for his skills, but for the impact that he has had in the England ODI and T20I set-up, is quite incredible and unparalleled for anyone who might have played in his role in the past.
Adil Rashid had arrived at the frontline of English cricket at a young age. He won all kinds of young player awards in the country and was identified as a bright prospect for English cricket. However, due to the presence of Graeme Swann, who himself was a terrific spinner, it took Rashid some time to really make his mark at the international level.
Career highlights
Even though he missed out on his first few opportunities in an England shirt, Rashid made the most of them as soon as he got the backing of the national selectors on a regular basis. Between 2007 and 2010, Rashid enjoyed a great time being termed as a future prospect. But, he soon fell out of favour for the England selectors. Between 2011 and 2015, the leg-spinner worked on every aspect of his game. Even though he had a few underwhelming county seasons, he did just enough to stay afloat in the recurring.
On his birthday, watch back Adil Rashid’s favourite ever delivery! ?? pic.twitter.com/6IRtXKxKlI
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) February 17, 2019
But, his real chance came after the 2015 Cricket World Cup. England felt they needed a leg-spinner in their attack to boost the variation in their line-up. During the New Zealand home ODI series, Rashid was brought in as a replacement of Moeen Ali, who was rested for the series. Rashid’s strong performances with ball and bat, helped him become a regular choice for the England team in limited-overs cricket.
His ability to pick wickets on a regular basis made him an asset, a word which was used by England skipper Eoin Morgan, for the limited-overs side. Morgan showed faith in him as did the selectors. Soon, he was regarded as one of the best spin bowlers in the world when it comes to white-ball. Along with Moeen Ali, he formed a good partnership, which gave England the right balance.
? Happy birthday Adil Rashid! ?? pic.twitter.com/McLCduiruN
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) February 17, 2019
Ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, Adil Rashid became one of the key members of the England team. During the tournament, he edged past Moeen Ali to stay as the leading spinner in their attack. He would forever be remembered for being the only spinner from the England side to play that famous final at the Lord’s in 2019.
At the time of writing this, Rashid has 155 wickets from 106 ODI matches, while he has got 51 wickets from 52 T20Is. Along with this, he has had a short Test career too, playing 19 matches and picking up 60 wickets. As he turns 34, we wish Adil Rashid best wishes for the upcoming journey and hope he can create a legacy for himself, which would make young English cricketers to take up leg-spin bowling.
