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Adil Rashid: I’ve not closed the door on Test cricket – it’s still the dream

by Wisden Staff 4 minute read

England leg-spinner Adil Rashid says he has “not closed the door on Test cricket”.

The 34-year-old has not played first-class cricket since his last England Test appearance, which came back in January 2019 on a tour of the Caribbean.

But new Test head coach Brendon McCullum opened up the possibility of selection for a number of white-ball specialists during his unveiling last month. On Rashid, he said: “I’m not sure someone like Adil would play every game every year anyway. But my mentality is, if they’re the best cricketers, why not have the conversation and see where you get to?”

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In an interview with the Daily Mail, Rashid confirmed that McCullum has contacted him.

“Brendon’s reached out to me — just a text to check how things are,” Rashid said. “I’ve not closed the door on Test cricket. I’ve not retired, or anything like that. It’s something that’s still there. It’s everyone’s dream to play Test cricket and I’m no different.”

Rashid has played 19 Tests, taking 60 wickets at an average of 39.83, but has dedicated his focus to white-ball cricket in recent years for both England and Yorkshire.

A shoulder injury affected him during the 2019 World Cup and and is something he cited in 2020 as a potential problem if he was to play red-ball cricket again. But he gave a positive update on his fitness to the Daily Mail: “It’s [the shoulder] been quite good now for a while, though I have to stay on top of it.

“It’s always exciting when something new comes along. Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes both like to be positive and attacking. That drives me on and it’s very exciting.”

England’s current spin options include finger-spinners Dom Bess and Jack Leach, with Matt Parkinson, a leg-spinner like Rashid, making his Test debut at Lord’s last week. Off-spinning all-rounder Moeen Ali is also reportedly considering a Test comeback under McCullum, having retired from the longest format of the game at the end of the 2021 summer.

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