OTD in 1988: Birth of England leg spinner Adil Rashid, who burst as an 18-year-old with 7 wickets on first-class debut

The experienced English leg-spinner Adil Rashid is celebrating his 36th birthday today. He has been an important cog in the wheel for the English limited-over teams. Rashid played a crucial role in England’s two of the most glorious moments in their long cricketing history, the World Cup 2019 victory and the 2022 T20 World Cup win. 

Adil Rashid made his international debut in 2009 in a T20 World Cup match against the Netherlands. A couple of months later he also got a place in the ODI team and the leg-spinner played his first ODI match against Ireland at Belfast. Adil Rashid made his debut at a young age but he could not cement his place in the English team. It took another six years for him to make a comeback to the team and this time he also broke into the Test team. Since then, he has not looked back and with time he has only grown in stature in white ball cricket for England. 

The English spin talisman

The English team is not known for quality spinners and they wait for years for one world-class spinner to emerge from their system. Adil Rashid, in the last decade or so, has been a pillar for England in ODI and T20I cricket. He has played 135 ODIs picking up 199 wickets at an average of 32.04. He has a wealth of experience in T20Is as well. Rashid has represented England in 104 T20Is and took 107 wickets. He also donned the white jersey for England in Test cricket but his Test career was short-lived. The 36-year-old has played 19 Test matches in his brief Test career. 

It is difficult to imagine England’s success in the 2019 ODI World Cup and the 2022 T20 World Cup without Adil Rashid. He was an instrumental part of the team when English cricket experienced the pinnacle of glory. The English fans will never forget the contributions of this ace leg-spinner as he helped them realize their biggest dream, the World Cup.