The Viper
T20I Debutant
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2018
- Runs
- 6,865
The England spinner talks to Saj (for isport) about his heart-to-heart with Chris Silverwood, his wish to see more Asian players in the county game and hoped for a satisfactory resolution to Azeem Rafiq's complaints about his treatment at Yorkshire.
A summer of cricket played in the surreal confines of a bio-secure environment would be the abiding memory for many England cricketers, but for Adil Rashid the chance to actually play was reason enough to make the season a memorable one.
Since the 2019 World Cup Rashid has endured a stop-start England career, because of his ongoing shoulder injury, which still requires careful management. But last summer he was glad to be back, even in sterile, Covid-affected arenas – and after a heart-to-heart with the England coach Chris Silverwood, he is comfortable with the notion that his Test career is very probably a thing of the past.
In a wide-ranging interview with i, in which he ponders reasons why there appears to be a dearth of Asian cricketers in the county game – and talks about the accusations of racism at his own county, Yorkshire – Rashid said of his Test hopes: “At the end of this season Chris Silverwood and I had an informal chat about my future plans, how I was feeling about my game and about my availability for playing Test cricket.
“I was very honest and said that there are pros and cons about playing Test cricket again and the biggest issue is my shoulder injury which has been ongoing for over 12 months. I have to be cautious and only I know what I had to go through to get my shoulder right. By not playing Test cricket it has meant that I’ve got the shoulder in good shape again in the last six or seven months.
“The big question is whether my shoulder can handle the stress of red-ball cricket again and there is the potential knock-on effect on my bowling in the shorter formats to consider as well. It’s something I need to think about, and it will be a decision that I have to ensure I won’t regret.”
While Rashid hasn’t played red-ball cricket for his country for nearly two years – his last Test coming against the West Indies in January 2019 – many feel that he is still England’s best spin bowler in all formats.
But he added that the rating is “unfair on others”, given his lack of long-form cricket recently. And while many would feel that playing only 19 Tests for his country doesn’t do justice to his talent, Rashid is proud of his achievement.
“Playing 19 Test matches doesn’t disappoint me one bit,” he said. “When I think back, I cherish the memory of having played those matches when many others never get the chance to even play one Test. I am not one of those cricketers who looks back and wonders if I should have played more Tests as there’s no point in over analysing your career or looking at things in a negative light. I’m thankful for the opportunity of having played Test matches and while others may disagree, I feel that it’s quite an achievement.”
Rashid, who has not played for another club since his debut for Yorkshire in 2006, plans on finishing his career at the White Rose county, out of a debt of gratitude. “If it wasn’t for them [Yorkshire] giving me that chance, then I wouldn’t have achieved what I have,” he said.
While the progress of Moeen Ali and Rashid is encouraging, there is a noticeable absence of Asian names at the county level, a statistic which surprises and concerns Rashid.
“I have always felt that if you are good enough you will get the chance, whatever race or religion you are,” he said. “However, I do look at the leagues in Yorkshire and wonder why more Asian lads are not coming through. They have the aspirations and dreams to play county cricket and need to make the most of the opportunity which I feel is there for all.
“It would please me no end to see more home-grown Asian boys from Leeds or Bradford making it at Yorkshire and I’d be really happy to see in future a Yorkshire team made up of several Asian lads in the starting XI. Seeing more Asians making it at Yorkshire would really tighten the bond between the club and the Asian community in the region.”
While many factors have been given for the absence of Asian names among county line-ups, the role of parents in encouraging and supporting their children is vital and one that Rashid can relate to with his own father’s example.
“My advice to young Asian cricketers is to first and foremost enjoy playing the game, give your all and don’t lumber yourself with the worry of playing professionally,” Rashid said. “I would also advise Asian parents to do all they can for their children if they want to play cricket professionally. I recall that my father did so much for me when I was growing up and the sacrifices he made were huge. He would drive a taxi through the night, come home, have a couple of hours’ sleep, and then take me around the country to wherever I was playing for Yorkshire’s junior sides. He would stay with me all day while I was playing cricket, drive me home and then he would go out to work again.
“You don’t become a professional cricketer overnight. The level of support and dedication from parents has to be there throughout and it has to be there from a young age. If the level of dedication isn’t there or the parents haven’t got the time to support their child with his or her dream, then it’s going to be difficult for that child to make it. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why more Asian cricketers aren’t coming through the system.”
Yorkshire have launched an investigation into allegations of racial discrimination and abuse made by Azeem Rafiq and, in Rashid’s view, lessons need to be learnt and the matter resolved in a professional manner.
“Whatever has been going on with Azeem Rafiq is not nice to hear,” Rashid said. “You don’t want this to happen in any sport, and there really is no place for such things to go on. But I’m hoping that the situation can be resolved in a professional way and that Azeem and Yorkshire can come to an agreement and sort things out as it’s important for everyone to learn from this and move forward.”
https://inews.co.uk/sport/cricket/adil-rashid-interview-england-test-cricket-best-spinner-714716
A summer of cricket played in the surreal confines of a bio-secure environment would be the abiding memory for many England cricketers, but for Adil Rashid the chance to actually play was reason enough to make the season a memorable one.
Since the 2019 World Cup Rashid has endured a stop-start England career, because of his ongoing shoulder injury, which still requires careful management. But last summer he was glad to be back, even in sterile, Covid-affected arenas – and after a heart-to-heart with the England coach Chris Silverwood, he is comfortable with the notion that his Test career is very probably a thing of the past.
In a wide-ranging interview with i, in which he ponders reasons why there appears to be a dearth of Asian cricketers in the county game – and talks about the accusations of racism at his own county, Yorkshire – Rashid said of his Test hopes: “At the end of this season Chris Silverwood and I had an informal chat about my future plans, how I was feeling about my game and about my availability for playing Test cricket.
“I was very honest and said that there are pros and cons about playing Test cricket again and the biggest issue is my shoulder injury which has been ongoing for over 12 months. I have to be cautious and only I know what I had to go through to get my shoulder right. By not playing Test cricket it has meant that I’ve got the shoulder in good shape again in the last six or seven months.
“The big question is whether my shoulder can handle the stress of red-ball cricket again and there is the potential knock-on effect on my bowling in the shorter formats to consider as well. It’s something I need to think about, and it will be a decision that I have to ensure I won’t regret.”
While Rashid hasn’t played red-ball cricket for his country for nearly two years – his last Test coming against the West Indies in January 2019 – many feel that he is still England’s best spin bowler in all formats.
But he added that the rating is “unfair on others”, given his lack of long-form cricket recently. And while many would feel that playing only 19 Tests for his country doesn’t do justice to his talent, Rashid is proud of his achievement.
“Playing 19 Test matches doesn’t disappoint me one bit,” he said. “When I think back, I cherish the memory of having played those matches when many others never get the chance to even play one Test. I am not one of those cricketers who looks back and wonders if I should have played more Tests as there’s no point in over analysing your career or looking at things in a negative light. I’m thankful for the opportunity of having played Test matches and while others may disagree, I feel that it’s quite an achievement.”
Rashid, who has not played for another club since his debut for Yorkshire in 2006, plans on finishing his career at the White Rose county, out of a debt of gratitude. “If it wasn’t for them [Yorkshire] giving me that chance, then I wouldn’t have achieved what I have,” he said.
While the progress of Moeen Ali and Rashid is encouraging, there is a noticeable absence of Asian names at the county level, a statistic which surprises and concerns Rashid.
“I have always felt that if you are good enough you will get the chance, whatever race or religion you are,” he said. “However, I do look at the leagues in Yorkshire and wonder why more Asian lads are not coming through. They have the aspirations and dreams to play county cricket and need to make the most of the opportunity which I feel is there for all.
“It would please me no end to see more home-grown Asian boys from Leeds or Bradford making it at Yorkshire and I’d be really happy to see in future a Yorkshire team made up of several Asian lads in the starting XI. Seeing more Asians making it at Yorkshire would really tighten the bond between the club and the Asian community in the region.”
While many factors have been given for the absence of Asian names among county line-ups, the role of parents in encouraging and supporting their children is vital and one that Rashid can relate to with his own father’s example.
“My advice to young Asian cricketers is to first and foremost enjoy playing the game, give your all and don’t lumber yourself with the worry of playing professionally,” Rashid said. “I would also advise Asian parents to do all they can for their children if they want to play cricket professionally. I recall that my father did so much for me when I was growing up and the sacrifices he made were huge. He would drive a taxi through the night, come home, have a couple of hours’ sleep, and then take me around the country to wherever I was playing for Yorkshire’s junior sides. He would stay with me all day while I was playing cricket, drive me home and then he would go out to work again.
“You don’t become a professional cricketer overnight. The level of support and dedication from parents has to be there throughout and it has to be there from a young age. If the level of dedication isn’t there or the parents haven’t got the time to support their child with his or her dream, then it’s going to be difficult for that child to make it. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why more Asian cricketers aren’t coming through the system.”
Yorkshire have launched an investigation into allegations of racial discrimination and abuse made by Azeem Rafiq and, in Rashid’s view, lessons need to be learnt and the matter resolved in a professional manner.
“Whatever has been going on with Azeem Rafiq is not nice to hear,” Rashid said. “You don’t want this to happen in any sport, and there really is no place for such things to go on. But I’m hoping that the situation can be resolved in a professional way and that Azeem and Yorkshire can come to an agreement and sort things out as it’s important for everyone to learn from this and move forward.”
https://inews.co.uk/sport/cricket/adil-rashid-interview-england-test-cricket-best-spinner-714716
Last edited by a moderator:
