Adil Rashid has explained in greater detail his reasons for focussing on white-ball formats this year. He issued an important warning about the future of leg spin in county cricket.
“It’s something that I’ve thought about and felt I had to do, and has been inside me for a little while,” said Rashid.
Also Read: Adil Rashid and Hales get the back of Moeen Ali“Last year, playing red-ball cricket for Yorkshire, my thought was that if I wasn’t giving 100 percent then I would be letting the team down and also myself down. It was a decision made purely because of how I felt playing red-ball cricket at this time. My mind’s not there, my heart’s not there, I’m letting the team down but also myself down. I had to get it off my chest and let Yorkshire know.”
Rashid’s frame of mind was reflected in his figures in the Championship last year: 10 wickets at 50 runs each for Yorkshire, easily his worst season since he created a sensation on his Championship debut in 2006 when he took six wickets for 67 in Warwickshire’s second innings.
“Like I said before, it’s not a permanent thing. It’s for this season, to see how it goes, how it unfolds and what happens. See what my mind says and what my heart feels. If it changes I could be going back to red-ball cricket next season. That’s a long way away, and a lot can change. At this moment in time, I’m very content with what I’m doing.”
Rashid’s very important warning is that if the first half of the Championship is squeezed into April and early May, there is almost no point in a leg-spinner turning up to bowl on slow pitches in cold weather. “That was a big part of it,” Rashid said.
Also Read: Alex Hales followed Rashid in axing red-ball cricket“Early season, I may not bowl much. A couple of overs here and there. Doing that, I wouldn’t get my rhythm – two overs before lunch, a few overs before tea. That wouldn’t help my confidence. At that stage, I’d just be going through the motions.”
He will be seen bowling in New Zealand during the five-match One Day International series against the Kiwis. The series will commence from this Sunday (February 25) in Hamilton.
