England spinner Adil Rashid set to miss the upcoming white-ball series against India after he received clearance from the country’s cricket board – ECB, to make the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
Adil Rashid set to miss India Series
As per a report, Adil Rashid is set to fly to Saudi Arabia on Saturday, which means he will also miss the latter stages of Yorkshire’s T20 Blast campaign. Check: India Tour of England 2022 Schedule, Squad
“I’ve been wanting to do it for a little while but I’ve found it pretty difficult with the timings. This year, I felt as though it was something that I had to do, and something I wanted to do as well,” said Rashid as reported by ESPNcricinfo.
“I spoke to the ECB and to Yorkshire about it and they were very understanding and encouraging, like: ‘yep, you do what you’ve got to do and then come back when you can’. Me and the missus are going and I’ll be there for a couple of weeks,” he added.
All adult Muslims are expected to undertake the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime if they are physically capable and have the financial means to do so.
“It’s a massive moment, each faith has got their own different thing but for Islam and being a Muslim, this is one of the biggest ones. It’s a big thing for my faith and for myself. I knew that I needed to do it while I’m young and strong and healthy. This is something that I really committed to myself that I would do,” said Rashid.
Rashid is expected to miss all six games as he is likely to return in mid-July, ahead of England’s white-ball series against South Africa.
But the 34-year-old asserted that the decision to go on the holy pilgrimage “was irrelevant of cricket.”
“It wasn’t like, right, I’m playing against India – I’d better not go. That didn’t really cross my mind. It was purely: right, I’m going – the decision was irrelevant of cricket, in that sense,” Rashid said.
“All I had to do was speak to Yorkshire and England and get their go-ahead. That was very easy and they were very understanding. To have that backing from your county and from your country, it feels like a big boost.”
In the absence of Adil Rashid, Matt Parkinson is likely to play in the limited-overs series against India. Notably, he made his Test debut against New Zealand earlier this month as a concussion replacement for Jack Leach.
