England’s Adil Rashid speaks to Saj Sadiq about winning the World Cup, his troublesome shoulder, Test cricket, the influence of Eoin Morgan and The Hundred.
What was it like to take part in the recent T10 League in Abu Dhabi?
It was a very interesting experience for me as a bowler as this format is different to T20 cricket, in that it’s a lot more fast-paced with batsmen coming a lot harder at you right from the off. I’m sure it’s also an exciting format for batsmen as well, and also a good spectacle for the crowds. It’s a thrill-a-minute really and non-stop action. Like any other format of the game, the more you play this style of cricket, the better you will get at it, but it’s an exciting format of the game for sure.
A few months on, how do you feel about the 2019 World Cup victory and what it meant to you?
The World Cup triumph was a dream come true, not just for me but for all of my team-mates. I would say that it’s every boy’s dream come true to play for their country, to represent their country at a World Cup and better still to win it as well. I was part of that excellent England World Cup-winning team and this was payback for four years of hard work dating right back to 2015.
We had a dream and a vision to win the World Cup this year and we had embarked on a journey since the previous World Cup with a new coach and captain, and we knew that if we played to our potential, we would win the World Cup and that’s what we did. Put simply, winning the World Cup was an unbelievable feeling for the players, our families and cricket fans in England and it’s something we will all remember for the rest of our lives.
Are the various Twenty20 leagues around the world a distraction or now part and parcel of modern-day cricket?
I suppose it depends on the players, as everyone’s in a different boat. There are some people who have completed their international careers, and it’s perfectly reasonable for them to start playing in different leagues around the world. For those who are currently involved in international cricket, it may not be that easy based upon their international commitments, so they need to obviously pick and choose which competitions they take part in. Some may criticise these T20 or T10 tournaments but there is a lot to learn for all from these various competitions in different parts of the world.
Given your Pakistani heritage, how important is the return of international cricket to Pakistan for the game as a whole?
Having international games in Pakistan is absolutely crucial for the game and I am very happy that this is happening, and am also glad to see that Prime Minister Imran Khan is taking active steps for this to become a reality. I also know that the next edition of the Pakistan Super League will completely take place in Pakistan which is very good news and this is what the country needs given the passion and the fantastic history of the game there. I am really hoping that in the future, the likes of England, South Africa and Australia will tour Pakistan to play all formats of the game as that will be a huge gain for Pakistan and the game of cricket.
