Adil Rashid's England Test Career So Far
The recall of Adil Rashid to the England Test squad for the First Test next week has split opinions across the UK. Rashid's recent form in white ball cricket had been a catalyst for National Selector Ed Smith to tap Rashid on the shoulder and ask him to return to Test cricket. Rashid turned his back on red ball cricket back in February for a white ball only contract with Yorkshire.
Rashid's inclusion in the Test squad for Edgbaston has caused a furore with Yorkshire, and their chief executive, Mark Arthur, was forthright in his comments. 'We're very surprised that England have called Adil up after not playing red ball cricket this season. Neither has he expressed a desire to do so. I hope that England know what they're doing to Adil and the county game.'
Michael Vaughan, ex-England and Yorkshire captain went further with his views. Known for his opinions, Vaughan went to Twitter to vent his frustration:
The question that needs to be answered is why the England selectors have felt the need to anger many connected to County cricket to bring Rashid back. Clearly, the thought of Joe Leach or Dom Bess facing India was too much to bear. Smith felt that Leach's lack of fitness and Bess' form did not warrant a place. However, Moeen Ali was recalled assumedly to play an all-rounder role with his finger spin complementing Rashid's leg spin.
The selection appears, on the face of it, to be a reaction to Kuldeep Yadav's inclusion in the Indian Test squad. With England having a dry summer, and wickets turning more than normal, Smith has selected Rashid on the hope that his white ball form will transcend into the longest form of the game.
Taking a look at Adil Rashid's Test career so far, the first thing that stands out is that he hasn't played a Test match in England. His ten Test matches have all been played in the UAE, Bangladesh and India. In a period spanning 14 months, from October 2015 to December 2016, Rashid featured in three series. In that time, the leg-spinner experienced just one win from ten matches.
His career started inauspiciously with a wicketless display of 0-163 from 34 overs in the first innings against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi. The second innings was a different story and took 5-64 to help England bowl out Pakistan for 173. This bowling display is Rashid's only five-wicket all in the 18 times he had bowled.
In total, Rashid has 38 Test wickets for England at an average of 42.79. In three innings, he has been wicketless but has taken three four-wicket hauls in the last five innings. Rashid's last appearance came at Chepauk in December 2016 when he took 1-153 in the first innings of a massive defeat. India's total of 759/7 dec was spearheaded by Karun Nair's 303 not out.
One statistic that will please England is that Rashid has been successful against some of India's current squad. 45% of his Test wickets have come from current members of the current Test squad: Ravindra Jadeja four times; M Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara and Umesh Yadav all three times; Virat Kohli twice; KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane both once.
Rashid's 38 Test dismissals have mainly come through catches: 27 from fielders and three caught and bowled. Only one wicket has come from a stumping or clean bowled whereas five LBW decisions have come Rashid's way. Rashid claimed the prize wicket of Virat Kohli, at Rajkot, when the batsman trod on his stumps trying to pull a ball and was given out hit wicket.
There are no guarantees that Adil Rashid will be able to transition his form to the Test arena. The pressures created in ODI and T20 cricket are different from Tests and patience is very much a key to success. In the recent Test match between India and Afghanistan, the differences between the long and short forms of the game were apparent. Rashid Khan's ability to take wickets with the white ball is unquestionable. However, 34.5 overs at Bengalaru demonstrated how Rashid Khan needs to adapt as he finished with figures of 2-154.
Looking back at previous leg-spinners for England, recent history has been scarce. Names such as Ian Salisbury, Chris Schofield and Scott Borthwick have unsuccessfully been tried and jettisoned from England teams. Rashid's name was added to this list but his reappearance gives the opportunity to climb the list of English leg-spinning wicket-takers. Another six wickets would get Rashid into the top five but would still be a long way from Doug Wright who took 108 wickets between 1938-1951.
The media frenzy won't help England, and Adil Rashid, as they prepare to take on the number one Test team in the ICC rankings. England are currently fifth, level on points with Sri Lanka, and would hope to beat India as the ICC Test Championship is just twelve months away. Pressure will be on Rashid when he finally bowls at Edgbaston, with the cynics waiting to jump on a bad performance. England's National Selector Ed Smith has put himself in a difficult position. If Rashid finds some turn, so will the Indian spinners. If not, Rashid could get hit all around the ground. Who would be a selector?