Posted by Adil Rashid, eh? Bet you’re blown away by our depth of cricketing knowledge and originality.
It’s three years since we first tipped Adil Rashid and it’s the third year he’s been one to watch. It’s probably about time things started happening.
By ‘things,’ we of course mean England recognition. Spectral badger visitation is a ‘thing’ as well, but no-one wants that to happen. Venereal disease is a ‘thing’, although we’re not sure that just happens.
The thinking on Adil Rashid runs one of two ways. (1) He’s not ready yet or (2) he’s some kind of warlock leggie who’ll bend the world to his will.
We tend to fall somewhere in the middle. We don’t want England to wait forever to pick him, but any notion that he’s some sort of magic jigsaw piece in the England puzzle is pure wishful thinking.
That England jigsaw depicts a maudlin-looking man attempting to unblock a drain with his bare hands. No single jigsaw piece can make that image change into a snarling leopard’s face. At best the maudlin-looking man will end up with congealed soap on his hands, not shit.
I am a big Rashid fan. Not only is he a genuine wicket-taker but his batting adds real balance to a team. 2 first class centuries already, I believe.
Can’t for the life me understand why England brought in Batty for the T20 & ODIs ahead of Rashid, who had been on tour for 3 months and had not been given a chance. Swann had been playing well, so it would have been fair enough to keep him in if he hadn’t picked up that injury. But what’s the point in having a backup if you are going to fly someone else in instead of giving him a go. I appreciate the argument for giving them touring experience, but I think playing experience can be combined with that, even if just in small doses. He’s not going to learn a great deal by bowling in the nets all tour.
I agree Benno, certainly on the crazy decision to bring in Batty and play him ahead of Rashid. I wouldn’t put him ahead of Swann or Monty in Test cricket to be honest, but to be overtaken by the likes of Batty shows just how close he is in reality.
I think Rashid would have been better off on the Lions tour as they clearly had no intention of playing him, so he may as well have played some competitive cricket. I doubt many people have got better at their game by carrying drinks, but he’ll probably make a good waiter now.
Dead right, KC. No-one ever became a good test player by having people think about him being a good test player. At some point, you have to bite the bullet and give them a fair crack at being a good test player. Then you find out whether they are a good test player. Or not.
When KP was first in contention for the test team, some people said he would make a good test player, others said he wouldn’t make a good test player. There seemed to be no way to decide, until they gave him a test place, so that they could find out whether or not he was a good test player. Exactly the same but different can be said of Bryce McGain.
I’ve got a few hours spare now, so I’m just going to have another bash at understanding your jigsaw metaphor.
three words:
chris schofield
no further questions, your honour
The last time I saw Rashid was in a training match with the rest of the England squad in Georgetown. In that situation his batting looked really good – the Guyanese around me were impressed by him and just could not understand why he was not in the team.
But KC I think I have spotted the method in your ‘one to watch’ madness – concentrating on division one only huh? Effectively knobbly the oppositions best players. Rashid – consigned to continual England team limbo, Steven Davies in a similar mental state now. Mark Davies now injured for the first time in a couple of years….
You naughty naught Lancashire fan!
Or rather that should be nobbling and naughty naughty – you really must get an edit button on this thing for idiots like me!
[just don’t point out the rest of the mistakes, i left my ability to read write and type somewhere in the rainforest – or was it all the rum?]
If Rashid comes into the team as a 2nd spinner with Swann, then fine, but I think he would have to be used with caution.
He shouldn’t be included in the T20 side for now, having not played often in that format for Yorkshire.
England don’t like spinners who buy wickets, leggies always do this. They’re usually pretty expensive. This is why there has been a string of crap defensive left armers.
Should Rashid be used with Swann or used with caution, Goodcricketwicket?
Please do make up you mind!
Is it just me or does that photo make him look like the long-lost love child of Barack Obama?