Rashid won’t fall for Ashes spin
ADIL RASHID isn’t dreaming of an Ashes series this winter – despite turning the opening Twenty20 into a nightmare for Indian skipper Virat Kohli.
The leg-spinner opened the bowling alongside Jofra Archer and silenced the huge crowd in Ahmedabad when he had Kohli caught at mid-off for a duck.
Rashid went for just 14 off his three overs as England restricted India to just 124-7.
Eoin Morgan’s side then waltzed to an easy eight-wicket win which went some way to banishing memories of England’s 3-1 Test series defeat.
But having played his most recent Test in January 2019, Rashid insists he hasn’t given a red-ball cricket return a second thought. Despite the Ashes looming into view this winter.
He said: “It has not actually
ZAK HARDAKER admits he’ll be embarrassed when his young son finds out all about his chequered past.
But the former bad boy of Super League insists from now on there will be no new horror stories for baby Abel to hear one day.
The Wigan and Great Britain centre insisted: “I cannot be messing about in the next five to seven years of my career because that would have a massive impact on Abel’s future.
“He has changed my whole ethos and mindset.
Selfish
“I was a bit selfish in the past, but things have totally reversed – everything I do now is for Abel and my partner Elisha.”
Hardaker was banned for 14 months after testing positive for cocaine in 2017, and also has a huge rap sheet that includes homophobic abuse, assault and drink problems.
The 29-year-old admits that it will make pretty uncomfortable reading when his three-month-old son gets old enough to find out.
Hardaker said: “I have thought about it, when he’s at school with his mates and he Googles me.
“But it happened and there’s nothing I can do to change it. It is how I try to live my life now that matters.
“Some of the stuff he reads about isn’t great and I regret some things that crossed my mind yet. I’m enjoying playing white-ball cricket – just concentrating doing what I’m doing.
“Test cricket, I don’t know, it hasn’t even crossed my mind yet.”
Rashid has taken 60 wickets in his 19 Tests but has focused solely on short format cricket over the past two years.
There’s no doubt, though, that he is now at the peak of his powers – and would be happened but I have moved on. I will speak to Abel about it and make sure he understands.
“I feel like I’m better equipped now to deal with the good and bad things.”
Hardaker has thrived, on and off the pitch, since Wigan put him through rehab and offered him a deal three years ago.
But he said: “I’m still having to work on my personality, and Elisha is great for me.
“We have never been as happy as we are now.”
Wigan, who play Salford away in a friendly today, open their Super League campaign at newcomers Leigh on Friday, March 26.
The Warriors were agonisingly beaten by a last-gasp St Helens try in November’s Grand Final. But Hardaker says there is no hangover from the defeat.
He said: “It was weird because we sat down in the changing rooms and had a bit of a celebration even though we lost.
“It was emotional but they were positive emotions because we knew we could quite easily have won that game.
“It was a tough year for everyone and lots of people suffered so we got over the defeat pretty quickly.”
Covid restrictions mean clubs must go into the new season with fairly limited preparation.
Hardaker added: “We’ll use the Salford game to work on combinations but it will probably take teams about four or five weeks to find the groove.”
In today’s other allsuper League friendlies. Huddersfield take on Leeds and Hull KR face Castleford. ideally suited to Australian pitches should he change his mind.
“The Ashes is a long way away,” he said. “I think we’ll see what happens closer to the time maybe.”
For now, Rashid will be focusing on continuing England’s flying start in the five-match T20 series.
Another win for Morgan’s men today will give India a mountain to climb.