Adil Rashid

A call up to the full Yorkshire side, 5 games and 25 wickets later Adil is now recognised as one of the most exciting prospects in English cricket. I interviewed Adil after he had finished a training session at Loughborough where he is preparing to go on the England A tour to Bangladesh in February.

I started with a question about his recent back injury.

It’s getting better. I’ve got until 15^th January just doing rehab, but then I think after that I should start bowling and getting back in to it slowly. I’m not bowling or batting at the moment, just jogging. I can’t feel any pain in my back I just need to give it some time to heal. Hopefully I’ll then be back to normal.

Unfortunately because of the injury you missed the England Under-19 tour to Malaysia, but now you’ve been selected for the England A tour of Bangladesh. That must be very exciting?

Yes it is. I didn’t expect to be part of that just yet. I was looking to do that next year. It was a bit of a shock, but it will be good experience for me.

The close season at Yorkshire has been ‘interesting’. What’s the mood like amongst the players with all the Chris Adams and David Byas situations rumbling on at the club?

(laughs) It has hasn’t it! I think everyone’s excited because there’s been a lot of a change. David Byas has gone, a few people have left and we’re bringing a different overseas player in so it’s quite exciting for the players and the club. There’s a positive vibe. There’ll be a new fresh start and that’s exciting.

Going back to last season it was a meteoric rise for you. When you made your fantastic debut at Scarborough and everyone, including the national press, started talking about you - was that strange? Was it hard to keep your feet on the ground when everyone was building you up as the English legspinner the country had been looking for?

It has actually. I’ve only played a few first class games. It would have been different if I’d played ten or fifteen matches and in every game I was performing, I’d have been more confident. Sometimes the attention is difficult to cope with. Reading my name in the newspapers is a bit strange.

When you started playing was becoming a legspinner a cunning plan to walk straight into the England side?

No, I started off when I was about 8 or 9 and the only reason I did it was because of my Dad who just taught me how to bowl legspin. From there I just tried to do my best and worked. I’ve practised, learned the different deliveries and worked on my action. I started with Yorkshire at Under-11’s and from there went through all the age groups to the Under-17’s, Yorkshire 2^nd XI and now the 1st team. It’s a long process.

What are your hopes going into the 2007 season? Sometimes the second season can be harder than the first – batsmen will know your name and be thinking I’m not going to get out to this guy.

It’s more of a challenge for me. I’ll have to work harder and it will be good experience. I’m looking to play a full season of first class cricket for the Yorkshire 1^st team and do well.

Have you set yourself any individual targets other than to play a full season?

I have set myself little targets like how many wickets and runs I’ll get in the season. I’m looking to get 50 first class wickets and about 800 or 900 runs. If I can do that it will have been a good season for me.

And will you be looking to get into the one day side too?

Yes. I will be hoping to play the one day games too – the Pro 40’s, Twenty20’s. That will be good for my bowling as well, dealing with the different situations, the batsmen will be more attacking and as a bowler I’ll have to change my bowling to deal with that. It all adds to the experience that I get.

The media have christened you and Mark Lawson the ‘spin twins’. Do you two get on well off the pitch too?

Yeah it’s a good name that. Yes we do get on well on and off the pitch. We help each other out, tell each other what’s wrong and what’s right and do things that will hopefully improve both of us. We have little competitions – if he’s bowling well I want to bowl better than him. If he gets a wicket one end then I want to get a wicket the other end. Whoever finishes up with most wickets doesn’t try and rub it in though – it’s all about the team.

You got selected initially as a batsman and then took loads of wickets. Do you see yourself as an allrounder?

Yeah I do. I’m a genuine allrounder. I see myself batting at number 6 or 7. I got picked for the 1^st team because I scored the runs but then I only got 10 on my debut and then Craig White gave me a bowl.

With Younus Khan coming to Headingley Carnegie and you doing well it is exciting for the Asian community in Yorkshire and the club are embracing that - that must be quite exciting for you.

It is actually. There are quite a lot of Asians living in Yorkshire and that’s one of the reasons the club are bringing Younus Khan over and hopefully the Asian communities will come and support us. I’ve not met Younus Khan yet so that will be interesting. He’s a very good player, played very well for Pakistan last summer and hopefully I’ll get some good tips off him as well.

How do you think Yorkshire will do in the 2007 season? Has the Adam’s saga affected our chances?

I think we’ve got a good chance. We’ve got some top quality players and I think some of the off-field events will bring us together as a team. Chris Adams is a good player who knows a lot about cricket and if he had come it would have been quite good because he’s a determined character. As it is though I think he will be the prize wicket this season.

So you’ll all be waving your arms around trying to get a bowl when he comes in?

(laughs) Yeah definitely.

Who are your heroes or role models?

I’ve got two. One is Shane Warne obviously, and one is Tendulkar - he would be a good wicket to get. Monty Panesar got him this winter and he was his idol too. If I ever play against India that’s what I’ll be looking to do – get him out. I didn’t play the Hampshire game last season because I was with England Under-19’s so I’ve never actually met Shane Warne or played against him. Hopefully that will happen this season. That would be good with me, Shane and Mark Lawson playing in the same game – it would be a good competition.

Have you been watching the Ashes?

I have. Oh, England tut tut (laughs). It’s been disappointing to lose 5-0.

One of the papers did a ‘reasons to be cheerful’ piece for the 2009 Ashes series and mentioned you and Mark Lawson as potential England heroes. Is that something to aim for?

It’s a long way ahead and I’ve got a lot of work to do, but yes definitely. A lot can happen in two years and it depends upon my performance for Yorkshire. I need to keep working hard, keep improving and hopefully one day I’ll get there.

You are a product of the Yorkshire Academy and have made your way in to the 1^st team. A lot’s been said about the other youngsters. Is there anybody there who you think could make the step up this season or the season after?

There’s a few there – Adam Lyth and Greg Wood. There’s a few actually who are good players.

So for Yorkshire supporters there are exciting times ahead?

Yes definitely.






Thanks to Adil for his time - any comments on this article - enter them HERE.

Next weeks interview will be with MATTHEW WOOD.If you would like to suggest any questions to ask Matthew please feel free to submit them HERE.

Bookmark or share this story with:

• Digg
• Delicious
• Facebook
• Reddit
• Stumbleupon

SPORTNETWORK SPECIALS

• Think you know your sport? Click here to try the Sportnetwork Prize Quizzes