Unveiling the Statistics That Define Rashid’s White-Ball Mastery

Adil Rashid has accumulated a staggering total of 403 wickets across 289 international matches in all formats. Released by BBC Sport on February 17, this article highlights the cricketer’s indispensable role during England’s dominance in white-ball cricket over the past seven years.

Throughout his career, Rashid has been a constant presence under captain Eoin Morgans leadership, and he continues to be crucial for the team heading into their ninth global tournamentthe Champions Trophy. The 37-year-old remains as vital as ever to England’s success in both formats of the game.

The article delves into what makes Rashid stand out among other leg-spinners: his consistency and control over his artistry. Only Sri Lankas Kusal Mendis has played more one-day internationals since the 2015 World Cup, while Babar Azam from Pakistan and Paul Stirling from Ireland are the only players who have bowled more T20 internationals in that timeframe.

Since his debut in both formats back in 2009, Rashid became a fixture under Morgans leadership. In the past decade alone, he has taken over 300 wickets and is unmatched by any other bowler when it comes to one-day wickets during this period. Among leg-spinners on the list are Rashid Khan, Adam Zampa, and Kuldeep Yadav.

Rashids pitch selection varies between a bad delivery (which he uses sparingly) or a half-tracker with offspin. His technique is characterized by excellent control over variations in speed, making him an asset to his team.

While Rashid dominates one-day cricket and T20s, Test cricket has been less accommodating for him. Over 19 Tests, he has taken 60 wickets at an average of nearly 40. Leg-spins influence on Test bowling has declined over the past two decades; it accounted for more than 10% of overs in the early part of this century but now stands at around 3.7%. When Rashid returned to the Test team between 2016 and 2018, he bowled fuller or half-tracker deliveries nearly seven percent of the time. However, over the past three years (between 2022 and 2024), bad deliveries accounted for less than three percent.

Despite this disparity in success rates between formats, Rashid continues to perform excellently under captain Jos Buttlers leadership. In fact, England wins about 72% of the time when he takes two wickets or more in an ODI.