Yet, even with the onus on refreshing tactics and personnel, Rashid remains an integral part of the future of England’s limited-overs teams. February’s Champions Trophy, the 2026 T20 World Cup and 2027’s 50-over World Cup signpost the next three years, and the 36-year-old, currently in possession of an ECB central contract that takes him through to the end of the 2025 summer, has designs on being around for all of them.
“I have not thought about it [retirement] yet,” said Rashid, speaking before Tuesday’s third ODI at Chester-le-Street. “Keep playing, enjoy it, stay fit, bowl well, contribute to wins, hopefully World Cups and Champions Trophies – that is my ultimate aim.
“I’m playing each game and each series as it comes and if I’m still enjoying it and performing well, I’ll keep carrying on.
“To play for this long and take the wickets I have, I’d never, ever dreamt of that, so hopefully I can carry it on. It’s been an enjoyable ride with ups and downs, and hopefully I can stay on the up for the remainder of my career.
“I’ve got no eye yet on retiring or anything like that – that’s not even crossed my mind. It’s about enjoying the game and still giving it everything I’ve got.”
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Of course, the team environment is a little different for Rashid. Not only will he not have his usual confidant for company, but he also now has more responsibility to assume as the go-to wise head in the dressing room, particularly for young spinners as England prepare for life after Rashid. The former will take getting used to, but the latter role is something he is keen to embrace.
“He’s a big miss for the team and a big miss for me because we’re really good friends on and off the pitch,” Rashid said. “He’s made that decision and got another chapter of his life with the remainder of his career and I’m sure he’ll do wonders.
“With Mo not being there my input will obviously be a little bit more, speaking to the youngsters and them coming to me,” he added.
“That’s the ultimate aim. Whatever I’ve got in terms of experience, form, ups and downs, the knowledge I have, I can pass that on. It could be in terms of mindset or technical things. I’m trying to do that now as well, with the youngsters I’m working with.
“I’ve worked with Rehan Ahmed, I’ve worked with Jafer (Chohan) at Yorkshire. There’s a few around the circuit, they’re in competition, which is healthy, and they can compete to become that No. 1 spinner.”
Easier said than done, of course. Rashid’s evolution into a world-class operator was aligned with a consistency of selection and schedule. Between the 2015 and 2019 50-over World Cups, he played 76 out of a possible 81 ODIs under Eoin Morgan. In turn, England emerged during that period as a ground-breaking white-ball outfit. The demands and opportunities of the modern game mean the next generation does not have the benefit of that level of continuity.
As such, England’s route back to the top of the pile after botched defences of the ODI and T20I titles in 2023 and 2024 will require a different path on less certain terrain. But in Rashid, they can still call upon someone who knows, and – crucially – still has, what it takes to push them on.
Vithushan Ehantharajah is an associate editor at ESPNcricinfo
Source: ESPN Crickinfo