Adil Rashid set to retire soon? Leg-spinner breaks silence

The 36-year-old star England National Cricket Team leg-spinner Adil Rashid has finally opened up on his retirement plans from international cricket.

Rashid is one of the most experienced members in the England white-ball setup, and he is the first-choice spinner across T20Is and ODIs. However, the ECB's reputation of preferring youngsters over seniors has led to speculations about Adil Rashid's retirement.

Recently, James Anderson was forced into retirement by Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, while Dawid Malan and Moeen Ali also announced their retirements after being ignored for the Australia series.

Meanwhile, Adil Rashid has made it very clear that he has no plans to retire from international cricket anytime soon, and he aims to lead England to glory in the Champions Trophy and World Cups.

"I have not thought about it [retirement] yet," said Rashid, speaking before Tuesday's third ODI at Chester-le-Street, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo. "Keep playing, enjoy it, stay fit, bowl well, contribute to wins, hopefully World Cups and Champions Trophies - that is my ultimate aim.

"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."

Notably, Adil Rashid recently completed 200 ODI wickets, becoming the first English spinner and overall third-fastest spinner to achieve the feat.

He's a big miss for the team and a big miss for me because we're really good friends - Adil Rashid on Moeen Ali

Adil Rashid further said that he will miss the company of his good friend Moeen Ali in the dressing room, and in Ali's absence, his inputs will be crucial for the youngsters.

"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," Adil Rashid said.

"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 not being there my input will obviously be a little bit more, speaking to the youngsters and them coming to me," he added.

Rashid also aims to pass on the knowledge he has gained over the years to the young English spinners, who can contribute to the team's success in the future.

"That's the ultimate aim. Whatever I'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."

Adil Rashid has overall represented England National Cricket Team in 19 Tests, 137 ODIs, and 116 T20Is, picking 60, 201, and 122 wickets.

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