The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has allowed Adil Rashid to perform the Haj pilgrimage to Mecca, leaving the leg-spinner out of the limited overs series against India next month. Rashid, who has taken more than 300 wickets in international cricket, will leave for Saudi Arabia on Saturday, which means he will not be able to play for Yorkshire in the final leg of the T20 Blast.
Rashid told ESPNcricinfo, “I have been wanting to go on Haj pilgrimage for some time now but I was not getting the proper time. This year I felt like it was something I had to do, something I also wanted to do. I spoke to ECB and Yorkshire about this and they understood my point. He said you should do this (Hajj pilgrimage). I’ll be there for a few weeks.”
Rashid was part of England’s recently concluded tour of the Netherlands, where his team won the three-match ODI series 3-0. Rashid said, “It is a big moment for me. Each religion has its own thing, but for us as Islam and as a Muslim, the Hajj pilgrimage is the most important thing.
The limited overs series between India and England will be played from July 7 to 17, consisting of three T20s and as many ODIs. Rashid is likely to miss all the six matches. He may make a comeback before the limited overs series against South Africa. Before this, Team India also has to play the postponed Test match last year.
Talking about Adil Rashid’s career, in 115 ODIs, he has taken 162 wickets at an average of 33.34. In 73 T20Is, he has taken 81 wickets at an average of 22.72. He has 60 wickets in 19 Test matches at an average of 39.83. Rashid played an important role in helping England win the World Cup. Although he did not take much wickets, he bowled brilliantly in the middle overs.
