The way the ball is coming out of Adil Rashid\u2019s hand this summer \u2013 those gyroscopic leg\u2011breaks and googlies still so utterly seductive \u2013 there is a case for Ben Stokes to flick him a WhatsApp message that reads simply: \u201cAshes?\u201d<\/p>\n
It was enough to persuade Rashid\u2019s best friend, Moeen Ali, to return to the fray in 2023<\/a>, an SOS answered initially with an LOL. Looking ahead to the Ashes tour this winter Rashid, even aged 37 and having not fizzed down a red ball for six years (no barrier these days), would surely enhance the squad.<\/p>\n For a start, Rashid is unquestionably the finest leg\u2011spinner England have produced in the past 50 years: a stellar career spanning nearly two decades that has returned 512 first\u2011class wickets, 427 in international cricket, and delivered two World Cup wins along the way. Oh, and an MBE.<\/p>\n To watch Rashid bowl to South Africa during the recent one\u2011day international series was to take in a master at work \u2013 utter control of a skill that takes years to perfect. It would be very English were Rashid to retire on 19 Test caps without a single one won in Australia \u2013 the scene of debuts of Scott Borthwick and Mason Crane in recent times \u2013 however much white-ball specialism has been his choice.<\/p>\n While Liam Dawson played a one-off Test this summer, there has been little to suggest that Shoaib Bashir does not remain the first\u2011choice spinner for Australia. Brendon McCullum spoke recently of needing overspin on their pitches, a nod to the fast-tracking of the 21\u2011year\u2011old these past 18 months.<\/p>\n But, if nothing else, Rashid would offer a point of difference in reserve: a possible contender for the pink-ball Test \u2013 he is difficult enough to pick in daylight hours \u2013 and perhaps Sydney, should its traditional characteristics return. Either way, Bashir would have a seasoned spin twin and mentor.<\/p>\n All this is \u201cwhat if\u201d stuff, sadly. There has been no suggestion from England that he is in the frame and it may be that, for the tactical reasons given above, Rehan Ahmed gets the nod. The youngster has been in great form this summer, it should be said, not least with bat in hand.<\/p>\n Adil Rashid was masterful in England\u2019s recent ODIs against South Africa. Photograph: Shaun Botterill\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Asked on Tuesday about his hypothetical reply to a similar message from Stokes, training in Cardiff a day before the first of three Twenty20<\/a> international matches against the Proteas, Rashid replied: \u201cIt would be a no. I\u2019m quite comfortable and confident of what I have been doing in the past [six] years or when I finished red\u2011ball cricket. I\u2019m confident in that and my own game.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I\u2019m sure it wouldn\u2019t come to that, because the spinners coming through now are very good and when they go there they\u2019ll put good performances in as well. So I\u2019m confident they\u2019ve got it sorted.\u201d<\/p>\n Perhaps this is for the best. After all, as much as Ashes chat has begun in earnest \u2013 McCullum dubbing it \u201cthe series of our lives\u201d piqued interest in Australian circles overnight \u2013 there is a second challenge for England this winter: the T20 World Cup<\/a> in India next February and March. Rashid, second in the bowling rankings in this format, will again be key.<\/p>\n However much it feels like the international summer has tapered off, this three-match series against South Africa represents the start of a focused buildup towards that tournament, one that takes England\u2019s white-ballers to Ireland, New Zealand and then Sri Lanka in preparation.<\/p>\n Finalists in 2024 \u2013 they might have won but for Jasprit Bumrah\u2019s shutdown in Bridgetown<\/a> \u2013 the Proteas have stumbled of late. A record since of seven wins, 12 defeats is in part due to the retirements of Quinton de Kock and Heinrich Klaasen but there is serious talent coming through.<\/p>\n For England, ranked third, the ledger during the same period reads won eight, lost six \u2013 albeit with six of those wins coming against West Indies. They are without two rested Test players in Ben Duckett and Jamie Smith and it is Dawson, not Ahmed, who will partner Rashid for the opener.<\/p>\n Quick GuideTeams for first T20Show<\/p>\n England (confirmed): Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (c), Sam Curran, Tom Banton, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid<\/p>\n South Africa (possible): Aiden Markram (c), Ryan Rickelton (wk), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi<\/p>\n Thank you for your feedback.<\/p>\n After a struggle for his part\u2011timers during the 2-1 defeat in the ODIs, Harry Brook will at least have an extra bowler to call upon with Sam Curran an option beyond Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks.<\/p>\n This will be Curran\u2019s first outing since McCullum took over the white\u2011ball side at the start of the year, the coach believing Curran\u2019s game had tailed off for a time previously<\/a>. While Curran benefits from Duckett\u2019s need for a breather \u2013 McCullum will take one himself during the Ireland tour \u2013 the Ashes bubble wrap is yet to come out for Archer. Fresh from a fiery match\u2011winning burst in Southampton<\/a>, he will play his fourth England game on the bounce.<\/p>\n \u201cThe main thing is getting into winning habits,\u201d Rashid said, while confirming his personal desire to play on for as long as possible. The Test side may not be picking the country\u2019s greatest modern leg\u2011spinner but the world\u2019s white\u2011ball batting lineups will still have to.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The way the ball is coming out of Adil Rashid\u2019s hand this summer \u2013 those gyroscopic leg\u2011breaks and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":130782,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[564],"tags":[64,63,740,85],"class_list":["post-130781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cricket","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cricket","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=130781"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130781\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/130782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=130781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=130781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=130781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}