Adil Rashid vows to soldier on as elder statesman after passing the 200-wicket threshold ahead of the 3rd ODI.
Adil Rashid vows to carry on as wise head, especially now that Moeen Ali has retired
Rashid, who just achieved 200 ODI wickets at Headingley on Saturday, denies rumours that he would soon retire from international cricket, saying he is driven to play the game.
Though he did so after losing to Australia twice in a row, Rashid made history as the first English spinner to achieve the milestone. After 14 One-Day Internationals, England had lost 10 of them. With two games remaining, another at Chester-le-Street would condemn the hosts to a series loss. Even if they were forced to train indoors on Monday due to bad weather, they might have avoided pain of defeat, even if losing the series would have been the result.
It has already been suggested that this is a transitional team, lacking a few experienced players, such as captain Jos Buttler, as atonement for the team’s previous errors.
Rashid is a crucial component of England’s white-ball teams forward. Even with the pressure on updating strategies and players. The next three years are set by the Champions Trophy in February, the 2026 T20 World Cup, and the 2027 50-over World Cup. The 36-year-old, who is now under contract with the ECB until the end of the 2025 season, intends to stay around for all of them.
“I have not thought about it [retirement] yet,” said Rashid, speaking before Tuesday’s third ODI at Chester-le-Street. “Keep playing. Enjoy it, stay fit, bowl well, contribute to wins. Hopefully World Cups and Champions Trophies – that is my ultimate aim.
“I’m playing each game and each series as it comes. And if I’m still enjoying it and performing well, I’ll keep carrying on.
“To play for this long and take the wickets I have, I’d never, ever dreamt of that. So hopefully I can carry it on. It’s been an enjoyable ride with ups and downs. And hopefully I can stay on the up for the remainder of my career.
“I’ve got no eye yet on retiring or anything like that – that’s not even crossed my mind. It’s about enjoying the game and still giving it everything I’ve got.”