Saqlain Mushtaq has helped me, Moeen Ali and other spinners of England: Adil Rashid

England leg-spinner Adil Rashid is one of the leading wrist-spinner when it comes to white-ball cricket. The Pakistan-born English International has been the cornerstone of the Three Lions white-ball teams’ since 2015 and has played a pivotal role in the resurgence of English white-ball cricket ever since they were unceremoniously knocked out of the World Cup in Australia-New Zealand four and a half years ago.

So, what makes Rashid such a potent force in white-ball cricket? According to the vile leg-spinner, it is the time that he has spent with former Pakistan spinner and the inventor of ‘doosra’ Saqlain Mushtaq that has helped him as well as fellow spinner Moeen Ali to gain a lot of insights and valuable tips.

The leg-spinner also said how Saqlain provided a lot of insight into the ‘mental side of the game’. Rashid hailed Mushtaq as a legend of the game while also mentioning it being a great opportunity to tap into the experience of someone who has been as successful as Saqlain at the highest level.

Speaking to Wisen, Rashid said, “Saqlain had been associated with the England side as a spin consultant since 2016 until recently and worked with us in Tests and ODIs. He is a legend of the game and a lovely person as well. He has helped Moeen Ali and me, as well as other spinners in the England side a lot.”

“He was able to share with us a lot of things about the mental side of the game, which has been developed over so many years of his international experience. It was very useful for us to tap into his experience and sometimes just having him around was a big plus for myself and for the other spinners in our side. He isn’t around now and he will be missed but I am sure he will move on to better things.” added Rashid.

Adil Rashid is the highest wicket-taker among all spinners in One-day Cricket since 2015

Since the start of 2015, no English bowler has taken more wickets than Adil Rashid in One-day International cricket. Since January 01, 2015, Rashid has played 94 fifty-over matches, during which he has claimed 140 wickets at an average of 31.11 and an economy of 5.62 which also includes seven four-wicket-hauls and two five-fors. Rashid has a 32 wicket lead over the second-best- Chris Woakes– who has claimed 108 wickets from 75 ODIs, vindicating his significance to the English set-up.

If you consider the list for the most wickets taken by spinners since the start of 2015, there also Adil Rashid leads the list with 140 wickets, followed by the likes of Rashid Khan (133 wickets from 71 matches), Imran Tahir (126 wickets from 80 matches) and India’s Kuldeep Yadav, who has taken 96 wickets from 53 games at an average of 23.86 and an economy of 4.95.

[interaction id=”5dc6bf20173fc165efba1101″]