Can Adil Rashid be England’s spin bowling answer again?

Rashid’s last appearance for England with a red ball came on the first match of their tour of West Indies at the start of last year but the door is apparently still open

Adil Rashid hasn't played Test cricket since January 2019 (Getty Images)

National selector Ed Smith says the door is open for Adil Rashid to return to Test cricket, despite having not featured in the format since January 2019.

Rashid’s last appearance for England with a red ball came on the first match of their tour of West Indies at the start of last year. In the 19 Tests since, he has been overlooked by England with the Somerset pair of Jack Leach and Dom Bess preferred instead, while Lancashire’s Matt Parkinson has featured in squads as the designated leg spinning option.

The situation around Rashid, who has 19 caps and 60 wickets at an average 39, has been complicated over the last two years by his contract situation. In 2018, he signed a white-ball only contract with Yorkshire which seemingly ruled himself out of long-form cricket. However later that summer he was selected for the five-match Test series against India.