Adil Rashid is happy to play the role of elder statesman in England’s latest white-ball revamp and insisted he has no plans to follow close friend Moeen Ali into retirement.
With captain Jos Buttler sitting out the ODI series against Australia through injury, 36-year-old Rashid is the oldest player in a fresh-faced squad by five years.
While newcomers such as Jacob Bethell, Jordan Cox and John Turner are taking their first steps in the international arena, Rashid last week became the first English spinner to reach 200 ODI wickets.
Less obviously, his longevity means he also finds himself as the side’s leading run-scorer despite coming in at number 11 in three of his last four outings.
We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity.
Tuesday’s clash in Durham, a must-win for the hosts who sit 2-0 down with three to play, will be his 138th cap – the exact number Moeen ended his career on this summer.
But despite the bond the spin twins have shared over the years, the idea of following his former teammate’s decision never appealed.
“I feel good. I’m not looking at retirement,” he said, when asked about his future plans.
“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. 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.
“I knew about Mo but I had to keep it to myself. He’s a big miss for the team and a big miss for me because we’re really good friends on and off the pitch. Sometimes it can be a bit…not lonely, but me and him are very tight, very close. But that’s life, people move on and come in and out and it’s something each individual has to get used to as well as the team.
“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 down and hopefully I can stay on the up for the remainder of my career.”
As well as being a versatile all-rounder, capable of moving up and down the order and bowling in a variety of different phases, one of Moeen’s most important attributes was his status as a mentor figure for those around him.
He was a source of wisdom and a right-hand man to Buttler and his predecessor Eoin Morgan, a role Rashid stands ready to absorb. He also has become a sounding board for the next generation of leg-spinners, lending his expertise to those who may one day inherit his place in the side.
“With Mo not being there my input will obviously be a little bit more, speaking to the youngsters and them coming to me,” he said.
“That’s the ultimate aim. Whatever I’ve got in terms of experience, form, ups and downs, the knowledge I have, I can pass that on. It could be in terms of mindset or technical things. I’m trying to do now as well, with the youngsters I’m working with.
Rehan Ahmed is one of the young bowlers who has benefited from Adil Rashid’s experience (Bradley Collyer/PA)
“I’ve worked with Rehan Ahmed, I’ve worked with Jafer (Chohan) at Yorkshire. There’s a few around the circuit, they’re in competition, which is healthy, and they can compete to become that number one spinner.
“It’s nice to have that title where you helped people, but ultimately it’s up to them as individuals. From my side it’s a nice thing to have done if people were encouraged to bowl leg-spin because of me or if they enjoyed the way I bowled or maybe copied me.”
Heavy rain at the Riverside meant no outdoor practice was possible on Monday, but England were joined at the indoor school by absent captains Buttler and Ben Stokes. Both men batted in the nets, with Stokes continuing his recovery work ahead of next month’s Test tour of Pakistan.