England got a taste of life after Adil Rashid during their late-summer series against Sri Lanka, and surprisingly, given how long his retirement has been treated like doomsday, life went on and England won the series.
That is not to trivialise the vital role Rashid has played for England over the last decade, or to suggest that his retirement, when it does eventually come, would not be problematic. No player has taken more wickets for England in T20Is than Rashid, and he is fast closing in on Jimmy Anderson’s record in the 50-over format. Having played 153 T20Is, the next-most experienced spinner in England’s attack after Rashid is Liam Dawson, who has played 39.
England relied heavily on their pacers during the ODI series in which Rashid was absent, and Rashid himself bowled just seven overs in the three-match T20I series. The bright spot was Will Jacks becoming the seventh English spinner to take an ODI five-for, something Rashid has done twice.
The Rehan Ahmed problem
The general anxiety over life after Rashid comes from the lack of specialist leg-spinners coming through behind him. That is why so much stock has been placed in Rehan Ahmed since he was a teenager, despite the lack of substance to justify that faith. Against Sri Lanka, Rehan had his first real chance to show that his position as Rashid’s heir was well founded. Instead, he highlighted just how different England’s white-ball sides will have to look when Rashid is no longer in them, without that reliable, ever-present source of overs and wickets.
Different is the key word. Rashid’s modus operandi sets him apart from most other leg-spinners in international cricket today. In the T20 World Cup earlier this year, Rashid bowled more deliveries under 80kph than any other spinner. He also bowled fuller than any of his peers, allowing him to get that trademark late dip after lighting up the batter’s eyes. And if the late dipper does not get you, the quicker one fizzed down will. Most importantly, no spin bowler in the tournament took more wickets at a lower economy rate.
In comparison to England’s other spinners, not only are there none of Rashid’s quality, there are none who bow comparably to him. Rehan bowls significantly quicker than Rashid and does not generate the same dip. “Most leg-spinners around the world in the last six-seven years have had success doing the opposite thing [to Rashid], bowling quicker stump-to-stump,” Rehan said earlier this year. “But for him to do that [bowl slowly] and be so brave and to get it right most of the time, it’s incredible.”
Longevity and the age question
Some of Rashid’s individuality has been protected by the different path he has taken compared with other leggies who have earned their fortunes bowling mystery spin around the world. Rashid has played relatively little T20 franchise cricket. In the last year, his appearances beyond England have been limited to The Hundred and a three-week stint in the ILT20 during a gap in the England white-ball calendar during The Ashes. Perhaps, at 38, the limited cricket he plays outside his international commitments has allowed him to keep going as he draws closer to his 40th birthday.
Age milestones also tend not to act as sharp cut-offs for spinners the way they do in other specialisms. At 47, Imran Tahir continues to be a regular buy at franchise auctions. Mohammad Nabi continues to play for Afghanistan aged 41, and Sikandar Raza spent his 40th birthday at the top of the ICC T20I all-rounder rankings last April. While the end of the 2023-27 World Cup cycle has added some urgency to Rashid succession planning, it is not out of the question that he could still be taking wickets for England at the 2031 World Cup.
Age and maturity also bring benefits that England’s younger spinners struggle to reach, and they are too often cast aside while still in their early to mid-20s. In an interview earlier this year, Rashid said: “You know at this age that sometimes things go your way, and sometimes they don’t. I think you also think more clearly about how to adapt to a situation and what’s required in this moment, on this pitch. All these things come in which you may not know when you’re younger.”
England’s answer so far
In a way, however, England have already found their answer to what comes next. In the absence of specialist spinners across formats, spin-bowling all-rounders have filled England’s gaps and stepped up to an expanded role with the ball. No bowler has sent down more overs for England in ODIs this year than Will Jacks. Batting all-rounder James Coles was named in England’s ODI squad for their upcoming tri-series in Pakistan, while Mason Crane’s nine-year wait for a recall coincided with a stellar domestic season with the bat. The appeal of Rehan has centred on his supposed versatility, which has seen him open the batting twice for England in ODIs.
Nothing shows the extent to which Rashid’s quality and longevity are an anomaly quite like England’s quest to replace him, or how far in advance they started the search. There is no higher praise, however, than this: when Rashid does eventually pull the trigger, England will have to completely remodel how they play their white-ball cricket.
