England should consider Adil Rashid Test recall, says Shane Warne

"Adil Rashid could offer a lot to this Test team. Dom Bess, I think, has got a chance - he's very good but having a wrist-spinner as well, in certain conditions they could play both of them"

By Shane Warne, Cricket Expert & Columnist

With more rain at the Ageas Bowl, Mike Atherton, Nasser Hussain and Shane Warne took the time to discuss all things spin bowling in the modern game

England are "missing a trick" if they fail to consider a Test recall for leg-spinner Adil Rashid, according to former Australia spin king and Sky Sports pundit Shane Warne.

Rashid has been out of the Test team since early 2019, when he won the last of his 19 caps against West Indies, but recently recovered from a troublesome shoulder injury to return to England's white-ball side.

The 32-year-old bowled impressively in the ODI series against Ireland earlier this month and Warne - who is second only to fellow leg-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan on the all-time list of Test wicket-takers - feels Rashid's form makes him a viable red-ball option.

Warne was discussing the state of international spin bowling alongside Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain in a video you can watch in full above or on our YouTube channel.

He said: "I think England are missing a trick by not having Rashid - he's probably coming into the best form of his life.

Advertisement

"I've watched him in ODI cricket, bowling extremely well, and I wonder if the selectors should say to him 'look, you don't have to go back and play every single four-day county game.

'What we'd like you to do is between Test matches, when you feel you need a bowl, to go to a county game and have a bowl' - because I think Adil Rashid could offer a lot to this Test team as well.

Also See:

"Dom Bess, I think, has got a chance - he's very good but having a wrist-spinner as well, in certain conditions they could play both of them."

Bess, 23, has been selected as England's frontline spinner for every Test so far this summer, taking a total of eight wickets, although he was unused during Pakistan's first innings in the current match at the Ageas Bowl.

Image: Dom Bess (L), with England captain Joe Root, has been first-choice Test spinner during the series against West Indies and Pakistan

While Warne sees potential in the Somerset youngster, he pointed out: "It's not easy for him learning how to take wickets, how to bowl against the best players at this level.

"You'd love for him to do that at first-class level, but he's only had a minimal amount. He's only young, so he's still got plenty of time - the ball comes out of his hand nice.

"I still think a lot of young spinners bowl a ball hoping the batsman will make a mistake - that's how I'll take my wickets - but most of the good players don't make mistakes.

"You need plans, need to know how you're going to get them out and you can only do that by experience. You've got to feel for Bess, because he's doing it at the highest level - and that's not easy."

The panel analysed the discrepancy between the ICC Test rankings - where not one spinner ranks among the top 10 - and the T20 equivalent, where the leading nine players are all spin bowlers.

Image: Afghanistan's Rashid Khan is the highest-ranked T20 bowler in the world

Heading the latter list is Afghanistan's Rashid Khan - a regular feature in T20 franchises around the world, although he has played only four Tests to date - and Warne was keen to stress his value as a player.

"I think his success is because he's got such subtle variations," added Warne. "He's got about 15 grips and no batsman can pick which way it goes. He's spinning the ball but it's into the pitch and a lot faster.

"As coach of London Spirit, I was involved in the auction for The Hundred [last year] and everyone wanted Rashid Khan because of what he brings to the table.

"It's interesting watching teams who have Rashid and how the opposition approaches it. A lot of teams say 'let's see him off and don't give him wickets', so they try and go hard against the other bowlers.

"By having a top quality leg-spinner in your side, it helps the other bowlers too. A lot of modern-day batsmen play pace really well but they don't play spin well and when you have to get on with it in T20, it's not easy."
Outbrain