Adil Rashid may have to get used to missing big moments with Yorkshire as he continues trying to carve out a permanent role in the England side.
Rashid played a key role as England won the third one-day international against Australia on Tuesday and was making his way across the Pennines to Headingley when his county colleagues clinched the LV= County Championship.
Rashid would have loved to be part of the celebrations at Lord’s as his team sealed back-to-back titles, having taken 25 wickets and scored 273 runs in six appearances this term.
But instead he has been attempting to nail down a place in the national set-up, by proving his white-ball nous as well as auditioning for a long-awaited Test debut on the forthcoming tour of the UAE.
A controlled display as the hosts comfortably defended 300 in to make it 2-1 in the five-match series will have done no harm, and he is content with his place in Trevor Bayliss’s set-up.
“Winning back-to-back championships was a proud moment for Yorkshire, I’m really chuffed and happy,” he said ahead of Friday’s fourth ODI, which will be his first England appearance on his home ground.
“I was keeping tabs on the score on Twitter, looking every five minutes and there were texts flying around.
“Obviously it’s a shame to miss it, a great feeling for the whole team, for the whole squad to win.
“But when I came into this one-day series I had a clear mindset of what my role is in this team and what I’m looking to do.
“It’s a different set up from when I first came in, a whole different environment. My mindset is a lot clearer, the coaches, the captain ... the mindset of the team is a lot clearer.
“And playing against the best batsmen in the world gives you confidence, especially if you’re taking a few wickets as well.”
All-rounder Chris Woakes, meanwhile, has been ruled out of the last two games of the series with a thigh injury.
The 26-year-old Warwickshire player has featured in each of the first three games, but has yet to take a wicket.
He was ruled out on the eve of the fourth ODI but is expected to be fit for the UAE trip, if required.
Left-armers Reece Topley and David Willey are vying to deputise for Woakes, with the latter a more like-for-like replacement given his superior batting.
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