Adil Rashid: ‘I still feel good, I still feel fresh, I’m still driven to compete’

The announcement this week of England’s squad for this autumn’s ODI World Cup contained several shocks and surprises, but for Adil Rashid it can barely have raised an eyebrow. Eoin Morgan, England’s previous white-ball captain, calls him “irreplaceable in the team”; to Jos Buttler he is “the guy who makes things happen”. He is probably England’s greatest white-ball bowler, and over the past decade has been their leading wicket-taker in ODIs (by a margin of 35), ranking third in the world (only two off first place). The only doubt that existed about the 35-year-old getting into England’s World Cup squad concerns not this tournament but the next one in 2027 – and even that, given his intention to “carry on for many, many years”, is probably minimal.

For now he is honing his skills, and recovering from a minor back injury, with Northern Superchargers in the Hundred, where his teammates include Ben Stokes, who was parachuted into the England squad after reversing his decision to retire from the format, and Harry Brook, who was edged out as a result.

Related: The Spin | Test selection is set to get interesting, whether Ben Stokes likes it or not

Thanks in part to a spate of rain-induced abandonments at the start of the month the table is particularly congested, and with two rounds of fixtures to go anyone can still win it, which perhaps has helped to drive interest: the two games so far played at Headingley were both watched by near-capacity crowds of more than 15,000, well up on previous years. “We’re definitely seeing a lot more crowds coming, more kids coming, more families,” Rashid says. “A lot of people identify with the Superchargers, so they have that love for their local team. To see that grow each year is a massive thing, and to see people who are not interested in cricket fall in love with the game, it’s a big thing.”

Since the end of the T20 World Cup last November Rashid has played 34 games in six countries for five teams in four formats, a dizzying record achieved despite being ruled out for four months through injury, and not picking up a red ball in anger since 2019. For many white-ball specialists life is a sea of hotel rooms and identikit franchises, and in this context the Hundred, even if it is only a few years old, has become something of a life raft.

“I’ve been here from the start, I’ve been here for three years, so you definitely have that bit of a link and that friendship,” Rashid says. “It can be different with some franchises, where you might only play for a year or two and, yeah, you love playing for them but you may not have that connection. I think in franchise cricket that’ll always be the way. You definitely have a lot more connection with some franchise teams than with others, because you’ve been there through a journey whereas other franchises it may just be quick in, quick out, on to the next one. It’s that kind of game, that kind of sport that it’s turning into.”

At 35 Rashid could be forgiven for growing tired of this treadmill, and of the cruel reality of life as a white-ball spinner – “Sometimes you may not bowl well and get a wicket, but sometimes you bowl well and you get smashed,” as he puts it – but he remains enthusiastic.

“I still feel good, I still feel fresh, I’m still driven to compete and play at the highest level,” he says. “I don’t look too far ahead – I like to take it a game at a time, a year at a time, to let things unfold and see where it takes me. If I’m still fit and going well hopefully I can carry on for a long, long time. I still have that love and drive for the game. I think once that does dry down, that’s when you might have to think about calling it a day. But at this moment in time I’m loving the game. I’m enjoying it, I feel good, I feel strong, healthy, and hopefully I’ll carry on for many, many years.”

Meanwhile, the search is on for someone who might take over the mantle when the day finally comes for Rashid to stop spinning. Given that he is one of 11 people aged 32 or above in England’s 15-man World Cup squad, there is a lot of succession planning to be done. “I do believe that when this bunch who are in our mid-30s, when we do decide to call it a day I believe the next bunch will be coming through,” Rashid says. “There’s definitely talent there and I’m confident that these guys will step up and maintain the level of cricket, how England have played, that fierce cricket, and the winning ways and defend trophies. I do believe that.”

Rashid names Leicestershire’s Rehan Ahmed – who at 19 has already been capped in all three formats – and Yorkshire’s Jafer Chohan, 21, as promising young spinners who could soon make his inclusion in international squads less of a foregone conclusion. “Rehan’s got everything there, he’s got the talent, it’s now a thing of letting him play and explore and enjoy his cricket,” Rashid says. “But there’s others coming through – offies, leggies, a good group. I think there’s good competition among them, they have the drive to say, right, let’s make it in international cricket. It’s good competition, healthy competition.”