Adil Rashid, the leg-spinner for England, will not play in the team's limited-overs series against India because he will be doing the Hajj, according to ESPNcricinfo.
Following permission from the county club and England, the leg spinner has also ended his Yorkshire T20 Blast season. According to the publication, Rashid will depart for Saudi Arabia on Saturday (June 25) and return in the middle of July.
"I've been wanting to do it for a little while but I've found it pretty difficult with the timings," he told ESPNcricinfo.
"I spoke to the ECB and to Yorkshire about it and they were very understanding and encouraging, like: 'yep, you do what you've got to do and then come back when you can'. Me and the missus are going and I'll be there for a couple of weeks,” he said.
"It's a massive moment: each faith has got their own different thing but for Islam and being a Muslim, this is one of the biggest ones. It's a big thing for my faith and for myself. I knew that I needed to do it while I'm young and strong and healthy. This is something that I really committed to myself that I would do." he added.
The leg spinner praised Moeen Ali, Saqib Mahmood, and England captain Eoin Morgan for providing a "very supportive" work environment for their Muslim teammates.
"Everyone in the dressing room respects our faith massively, and they've got a good understanding of it now with myself and Moeen around," he added.
The rescheduled Test at Edgbaston will kick off the England-India series, which will also feature 3 T20Is and 3 ODIs.
(ESPNcricinfo INPUTS)
