Chester-le-Street (UK), Sep 24 2024-
England spinner Rashid Rashid has set his eyes on World Cup and Champions Trophy titles after reaching the 200 ODI wickets milestone in the second 50-over match against Australia at Headingley last week.
Rashid also confirmed that he is not thinking about hanging his international boots, a possibility that came up after Moeen Ali announced his retirement from international cricket earlier this month.
“I have not thought about it (retirement) yet. Keep playing, enjoy it, stay fit, bowl well, contribute to wins, hopefully World Cups and Champions Trophies – that is my ultimate aim,” Rashid was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
“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. 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 downs, and hopefully I can stay on the up for the remainder of my career.
“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,” he added.
Despite the focus on evolving tactics and personnel, Rashid remains a key figure for the future of England’s limited-overs teams. With the Champions Trophy in February, the 2026 T20 World Cup, and the 2027 50-over World Cup on the horizon, the 36-year-old spinner, who holds an ECB central contract through to the end of the 2025 summer, aims to be a part of all these tournaments.
The 36-year-old leg-spinner will earn his 138th ODI cap in the third ODI against Australia on Tuesday, the figure that Moeen ended his career on.
“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. He’s made that decision and got another chapter of his life with the remainder of his career and I’m sure he’ll do wonders. With Mo (Moeen) not being there, my input will obviously be a little bit more, speaking to the youngsters and them coming to me,” Rashid said.
“That’s the ultimate aim. Whatever l’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 that now as well, with the youngsters I’m working with.
“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 No. 1 spinner,” he added. (Agency)
