Ed Smith, the England national selector, has said that Adil Rashid is keen on playing Test cricket again, hinting at the possibility of a future return for the leg-spinner, who last played a first-class game for Yorkshire in 2017.
Earlier this week, Rashid was backed by Australia great Shane Warne to make a comeback to the Test side – Warne felt England were “missing a trick” by not having him in whites as he is in the “form of his life”, also suggesting the idea of playing both Dom Bess and Rashid in the XI.
Smith said that England will now work closely with Rashid, who was forced into a six-month layoff in 2019 with a long-standing shoulder injury.
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“Adil’s form is really good in white-ball cricket and we’ve all seen the skill and mastery he’s displaying at the moment,” he said. “We’ll work closely with Adil and Yorkshire and see if he’s ready to play four-day cricket.
“He is coming back from a serious injury and there’s a difference between bowling 10 and 100 overs, or whatever a heavy workload over a few games would be. He’s still working on the physical side but I think Adil still has aspirations for England in all forms.”
On Tuesday, Rashid, who last featured in a Test in 2019, was named in the T20I squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Pakistan.
"I think England are missing a trick not having Rashid.”https://t.co/TOw8P4c6bz
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) August 16, 2020
David Lloyd, speaking to Daily Mailafter the second England-Pakistan Test, also backed Rashid to reclaim a spot in the Test team.
“I hope the dialogue is ongoing with Rashid. I’d be moving heaven and earth to get him to play Test cricket if I were England coach because he could be an integral part of their jigsaw, especially away from home.”
