T20 World Cup 2021: England’s Adil Rashid having fun with return to full health after in depth rehab since 2019

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Sharjah: Adil Rashid said on Sunday he was ready to play a full role in England’s bid for the T20 World Cup after overcoming a persistent shoulder injury.

The leg spinner had to have two cortisone syringes injected into his bowling arm on home soil during England’s triumphal march at the 2019 50-over World Cup.

He took 11 wickets at an expensive average of nearly 48, albeit during a tournament where many slow bowlers struggled to make an impact.

Rashid’s injury effectively destroyed any thought of returning to the test service.

But a long period of rehabilitation has given him the confidence that he will be able to use his full range of deliveries at the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

Adil Rashid has been in top form for England at the T20 World Cup so far. AP

“In terms of fitness and body, I’m 100 percent fit,” said Rashid.

“Since the 2019 World Cup until now, I’ve had to do a lot of rehab and strength and conditioning, but right now I’m fit and healthy. I still take care of myself when I go to the gym and” make sure I do the work and don’t just give up. “

The 33-year-old Yorkshire man added, “The benefit of this is that I can bowl whatever I want, when I want, how I want, at whatever rate, without the pain or discomfort that is causing anything could go wrong. “

Rashid began England’s quest to become the first team to hold both major global limited-over titles at the same time with an impressive 4-2 against reigning T20 champions West Indies.

And he also played his part with a 1-19 return as Eoin Morgan’s men, who have won all three of their games so far, defeated arch-rivals Australia with eight wickets on Saturday in Dubai to get closer to a semi-final.

Rashid’s return helped keep Australia down to a total of 125 before Jos Buttler’s dashing 71 undefeated brought England home with 50 balls.

“He’s done this many times over the years,” Rashid said of Buttler. “It’s the variety of shots he has, the strength he has, the fearlessness to put pressure on the bowlers. All of this makes him one of the best white ball batsmen in the world.”

However, Rashid said England didn’t get carried away ahead of their next Super 12 game against Sri Lanka in Sharjah on Monday.

“We are not thinking of winning the World Cup, there is still a long way to go,” he said.

“Whatever happened now is over, that’s in the past, so our minds are set on whatever lies ahead. We take it from game to game. Next we have Sri Lanka so we concentrate definitely on it. ” . “