Joy of six for Adil Rashid as Yorkshire dominate against Worcestershire (From York Press)

Joy of six for Adil Rashid as Yorkshire dominate against Worcestershire

9:55am Saturday 9th April 2011 in Yorkshire County Cricket Club By Chris Parrott

YORKSHIRE’S Adil Rashid picked the perfect moment to turn on the style as the Tykes began the 2011 season with a bang against Worcestershire.

The leg spinner took 6-77 at New Road, in front of the watching National selector Geoff Miller, to put the Tykes in control of their LV=County Championship clash.

So often the forgotten man for England recently, his display will surely not have gone unnoticed this time as Worcestershire were bowled out for 286 by the close.

“I did see that he (Geoff Miller) was here,” said a typically modest Rashid, “but I am just concentrating on taking it game by game to be honest.”

“My confidence is definitely high at the moment though. I think we are in a good position in this game and hopefully our batsmen can get stuck in now.”

Rashid was certainly the destroyer in chief for the Tykes with the ball, producing a display that befitted the picture-perfect backdrop in Worcester.

On a gloriously sunny day he was brought into the attack with the hosts in a dominant position, after they had won the toss and elected to bat.

Ryan Sidebottom had removed opener James Cameron’s off stump for 30 on his return for the county – but the hosts had reached 91-1 before Rashid got in on the act.

Three wickets for just nine runs did the damage either side of lunch, as Rashid removed Vikram Solanki, for 15, Daryl Mitchell, for 49, and Alexei Kervezee for only four.

Then, in between Sidebottom ending a spirited partnership of 62 by removing Matthew Pardoe for 24, the 23-year-old returned to complete his impressive day.

Moeen Ali became his fourth victim, for only 18, Ben Cox his fifth scalp, for only ten, before a beautiful delivery clean bowled Gareth Andrew for 49 to leave Worcestershire on 218 for nine.

It was perhaps apt that Rashid reserved such a good performance for when the chief selector was watching.

He has come back into the reckoning recently, after making his last International appearance in November 2009, with some impressive displays during the winter for both the England Lions and South Australia in the Big Bash down under.

That led to him being called up as a late replacement in the World Cup and, although he did not play, it would be a major surprise if Rashid is ignored for much longer.

His heroics were partly overshadowed by the close though, when a frustrating last wicket partnership of 68 from Worcestershire gave them hope in the game.

Matt Mason was the architect of it, as he equalled his career-best by plundering his way to 63 off only 54 balls.

He was eventually run out by Steven Patterson off his own bowling to bring play to a close and make sure it was still Rashid’s day in the sunshine.

If he has many more like it this campaign, then expect to see him back in an England shirt soon.