Adil Rashid, you absolute superstar!
Yorkshire’s leg-spinning magician brought up his 200th international appearance across all formats this weekend when England opened their T20 series against the West Indies in Barbados on Saturday.
And what a career it has been for a precocious talent from Bradford…
Aged only 18 when he took six wickets on his Yorkshire debut in a County Championship match against Warwickshire at Scarborough in 2006, he has gone on to take 296 wickets in now 201 games for the Three Lions having also played in the second game in Barbados last night – in which he took an excellent 2-24 in a bounce back victory after Saturday’s defeat.
Another milestone, the 300-wicket mark, could very well be achieved before England leave the Caribbean early next week.
The most important statistic, however, came in the summer of 2019 when he helped England to a sensational one-day World Cup win on home soil, claiming 3-54 in the semi-final win over Australia at Edgbaston as his best performance amongst 11 wickets in as many appearances.
A two-time Championship winner with Yorkshire in 2014 and 2015, he had been named as the PCA’s and Cricket Writers’ Club’s Young Player of the Year in 2007.
Rashid is currently ranked the fourth best T20 bowler in the world by the ICC, with all of the top five wrist spinners; Wanindu Hasaranga is number one, followed by Tabraiz Shamsi, Adam Zampa, Rashid and Rashid Khan. In fact, seven of the top 10 are spinners.
Rash, or Dilly if you prefer, has been batting right down the order for England in limited overs cricket, though his 10 first-class hundreds with the White Rose on his chest point to a very, very capable batter.
Both his one-day and T20 international debuts came in 2009 before the first of 19 Test Matches came in 2015.
It is a shame that we haven’t seen more of him in a Test shirt for England, though that should not detract from a special career which has seen him bamboozle many of the world’s top batters with his skill.
Virat Kohli is a player high up on that said list.
Rashid, an expert bowler of the googly, is heavily involved in charity work both locally and in Pakistan and has been honoured with the Freedom of the City of Bradford in recent years.
He played alongside current managing director of Yorkshire Cricket Darren Gough on his T20 debut for the county in the summer of 2008.
And Gough, along with every other Yorkshire fan no doubt, will want to see this soon to be 34-year-old bowling genius back in county colours again this coming summer.
His domestic appearances have been limited in recent years, but he played five Vitality Blast games last summer as the Vikings reached the quarter-finals.
Congratulations Adil on your amazing achievement. There are many more to come, and we can’t wait to see you soon!
