Nasser Hussain: England Adil Rashid must decide if he wants to play Test cricket | Cricket News

Nasser Hussain talks about the future of Adil Rashid’s England test, Joe Root’s hopes of playing in the upcoming T20 World Cup and South Africa’s “ great cricket nation ” on the latest Sky Sports Cricket podcast as he joins to Ian Ward and Michael Atherton in Cape Town

Adil Rashid must decide if he really wants to play Test cricket again before England consider calling him back in the longer form, says Nasser Hussain.

Leg-spinner Rashid is an integral part of England’s white ball teams and is currently in South Africa ahead of three T20Is and three ODI against the Proteas, which begin Friday, live on Sky Sports.

The 32-year-old – with a single white ball contract to Yorkshire in country cricket – played the most recent of his 19 tests in January 2019, although national selector Ed Smith says he remains on England’s mind.

Speaking of the latest Sky Sports Cricket podcast – that you can listen to in the player above or wherever you find your podcasts – Hussain discussed a potential comeback for Rashid as England look to win in India in early 2021 and Australia the following winter.

Hussain said: “I wouldn’t go with the cap in Rashid’s hand. I think he’s a very good bowler, but it has to come from the inside, from Adil saying ‘I want to play Test cricket’.

“I say this because on tours in India and Australia – I know, I’ve been there – your bowler must want to be out there in the battle. They are brutal places for bowlers.

“When you throw the ball to Adil when Virat Kohli is not 60 and India is 100-1, or in the Ashes, or the second time and he has already pitched 50 overs, it has to be mental and physical.

“With his shoulder, he has to be physically fit enough to get over 60 overs in a game. When would he last?”

Hussain: Don’t forget Moeen

During a chat about England’s spin options with host Ian Ward and fellow guest Michael Atherton, Hussain also said that Moeen Ali remains a contender, despite not playing a Test since August 2019.

Former England captain Hussain says the 33-year-old all-rounder – who has taken 181 wickets and scored over 2,700 runs in 60 tests to date – has been hampered by a lack of cricket recently, with his batting suffering the most. great shot.

“I’m still a Moeen fan,” he said. “His record as a spinning player is up to the best of them – he’s too good a cricketer to forget.

“I know he’s going a bit, but he still has a lot of offers. He’s such a talent [his form] it was one of the biggest disappointments.

“I wish there was more cricket in the county last summer so he could go and open the bat for Worcestershire or beat at three and get that pace.

“He sat on the bench in the cricket franchise, brought drinks to the World Cup, so his form dropped because he didn’t play. He’s a beat hitter and he lost the beat of the serve.”

‘England cannot play Root and Malan on the same team’

Rashid and Moeen are part of England’s T20I squad to take on South Africa, but Joe Root no, with the Test captain – who last played a T20I in May 2019 – once again being overlooked for a batting spot.

Root was England’s top scorer at the 2016 T20 World Cup in India – which is also the venue for the next edition in October – while on Monday he scored an unbeaten 45 from 26 balls in England’s T20 warm-up match in Paarl on Monday .

Hussain said: “I don’t think the T20 game went on at all.

“You just have to look at this year’s IPL. Slightly different shots in the UAE, yes, but look at how Kane Williamson did in the subcontinent. You still need [that sort of player].

“Joe’s problem is not that the game went on, his problem is that Dawid Malan came in, scored points and took # 1 on the T20 leaderboard.

“You can’t have a team with Malan and Root, not all the other riches England have in the batting department.”

‘South Africa a great cricket nation’

Root will return for three one-day internationals against South Africa, which kick off on December 4, as he faces a team of Proteas who have encountered unrest off the pitch, with allegations of mismanagement leveled at the former cricket council and an administration to interim now in place.

Hussain hopes the South African players aren’t affected by the problems behind the scenes and praised the part for how they have overcome other problems in the past.

He added: “I am amazed at how well South Africa has dealt with the grumbling background problems over the past decade – finances, Kolpak cricketers, losing AB de Villiers. If you think about the side they might have, they are still producing some players. incredibly talented cricket team.

“Quinton De Kock is one of the great white ball cricketers – we saw him at the IPL – and then there’s Kagiso Rabada. We hope to see South Africa play well because they are a great cricket nation and have had great fights with England They are always close series.

“South Africa are a very good team despite what is happening behind the scenes and in a way it shows that even if the ECB is being beaten a lot, we are quite lucky with how the game plays out in England.

“South African cricketers would bite your hand to be run as the ECB runs England.”

Watch every game of England’s White Ball Tour of South Africa live on Sky Sports Cricket, starting with the first T20 from 3:30 pm on Friday.