ENG vs IND 2018: Adil Rashid's recall sets a dangerous precedent for county cricket, says Nasser Hussain 

Adil has been selected as part of the squad to play the first Test against India.

Nasser Hussain (Getty)

Former England Captain Nasser Hussain has said that Adil Rashid's recall into the squad that has been announced to take on against India for the start of the upcoming Test series is debatable and while sending a wrong message, it "sets a dangerous precedent for county cricket". 

There are two kinds of opinions regarding Adil's selection. One is that if England believes he is one of their best spinners than it doesn't matter what route they take to ensure he is part of their side. The other one is that having earlier announced his retirement from all red-ball cricket, Rashid shouldn't have been picked ahead of other good performers and it hurts the status of county championship as the premier domestic competition in the country. 

Nasser, who believes more in the former, was quoted saying on Sky Sports as, "If you say that selection is just about picking the best XI players available at this given time, then you'd say the selectors have got it right, Is Adil Rashid bowling well? Is he one of the two best spinners in the country at the moment? You'd probably say yes. So if you're an England fan you won't be too upset by this squad and if the selectors' job is just to pick the best available team, then I think they've done the right thing."

"But if you want to look at the bigger picture and look at the issues of county cricket and the issues of spin in general in county cricket, I wouldn't have gone down this road personally. I think it sends a bad message out that someone who is not willing and doesn't want to play red-ball cricket - who doesn't want to play for their county - can, just because he's bowled well in a few white-ball games, be given the keys to the city and be welcomed back into the Test match side."

He further said, "I think it's a dangerous precedent to set because what do you do with players in between Test matches in the future because if they don't want to go off and play red-ball cricket for their county, what do the ECB do? Do they force them to do that or can a player just say 'Adil Rashid doesn't play for his county, I'll put my feet up for four or five days'."

"It's a dangerous road to go down. I understand why the selectors have done it. But it just shows where we are with spin. We're going round in circles - from Rashid to Moeen Ali, Zafar Ansari, Gareth Batty, Mason Crane, Jack Leach, Dom Bess, Liam Dawson and now we're back to Rashid."

The debate remains, it is possible that Adil happens to be just not good enough against India but as long as England thinks he is their best, they are allowed to make this decision. 

(Inputs from Sky Sports)

 
 

By Kashish Chadha - 27 Jul, 2018

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