Daily Times

LONDON: Adil Rashid has been recalled to the England squad for the first Test against India, despite the leg-spinner saying he wanted to focus on limited-overs cricket. The 30-year-old signed a white-ball only contract with his county Yorkshire in February but said he “was not finished” with the longest format of the game. Rashid, who has played 10 Tests and picked up 38 wickets, was picked in the 13-man squad ahead of Jack Leach and Dom Bess, the two Somerset spinners who have featured in the last three tests.

Rashid earns his recall on the back of strong performances in one-day matches against India over the last few weeks. A hot and dry summer means spinners are likely to play an important role in the test series. “Following his decision in February 2018, Adil has a white-ball-only contract to play for Yorkshire this summer,” England selector Ed Smith said in a statement. “That arrangement is unchanged by his selection for England. However Adil fully understands that if he wishes to be eligible for Test cricket in the 2019 season, he must have a county contract to play four-day cricket. “Moving forward, England Test players must be committed to the County Championship.” All-rounder Moeen Ali has been recalled to the test squad for the first time since the tour of New Zealand to offer another spin bowling option, while Essex seamer Jamie Porter earned his first call-up. Chris Woakes, who is still recovering from thigh and knee injuries, was left out of the squad as the selection panel was keen to avoid rushing the all-rounder back too soon. Joe Root’s England host India at Edgbaston in first of five Test matches from Aug. 1-5.

Full squad: Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Dawid Malan, Jamie Porter, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes.

Published in Daily Times, July 27^th 2018.