Time is right for Yorkshire's Adil Rashid to shine (From York Press)

Time is right for Yorkshire's Adil Rashid to shine

10:05am Saturday 13th August 2011 in Yorkshire County Cricket Club By Graham Hardcastle

Adil Rashid is hoping to come good at just the right time after an inconsistent summer for Yorkshire.

The 23-year-old leg-spinner has struggled for form this term, failing to take a five-wicket haul in the LV= County Championship since early April against Worcestershire at New Road.

Rashid took ten wickets in the first match of the season, but has been out of sorts since.

Countless times has the England hopeful bowled too short or too full, only finding any kind of rhythm in 20-over and 40-over cricket.

Yorkshire have four Championship matches left, starting with Wednesday’s clash against Sussex at Scarborough.

And Rashid said: “My form’s been up and down, but that’s just part of the game. It can happen to any cricketer.

“I’ve had some not very good games, but hopefully I can step up when it really counts between now and the end of the season.”

Having taken 57 wickets from 16 Championship matches last term, Rashid will have to sparkle against Sussex, Warwickshire (twice) and Somerset if he is to beat that haul because he only currently has 31 from 12 matches to his name.

If he does top 57, the chances are that Yorkshire will avoid relegation from division one.

He continued: “This is the most important part of the season now.

“We’ve got four Championship games left and, hopefully, we can get some wins under our belts. If we can win two of the four, we should be okay.”

Rashid’s record at Scarborough is good. He made his Championship debut there in 2006, taking a total of 38 wickets in 11 matches.

Before the Sussex match, Rashid is expected to play in tomorrow’s Clydesdale Bank 40 game against Derbyshire at Chesterfield as he looks to add to his 17 wickets.

He took 3-43 in the win over Middlesex at Lord’s on Wednesday to help drag his side off the bottom of Group ‘A’.

Rashid’s season will be extended by a trip to the Twenty20 Champions League in India at the end of next month and into early October.

He will play for the South Australian Redbacks, who he starred for during the most recent winter.

The Redbacks, champions of the Australian Big Bash, have qualified for the ten-team event, while two of Leicestershire, Hampshire, Lancashire and Somerset will travel from England.

“Last winter was a good experience for me,” he said. “It was my first time as an overseas player, and playing in those conditions against those players was good for my development. I’m looking forward to the Champions League, but I want to finish off the season well for Yorkshire – both personally and as a team.”

Rashid’s hopes of securing a contract to play in the newly-formed Big Bash competition later this year have suffered a blow, however.

The event has been changed to city cricket, and the leg-spinner was in talks with the Adelaide Strikers to become their second overseas player.

But the Strikers have since signed Alfonso Thomas to play alongside Kieron Pollard.

• Yorkshire’s Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root starred for England Lions in their one-day clash with Sri Lanka ‘A’ at Worcester.

Root hit 62 off 66 balls and Bairstow struck 59 off only 26 balls as the Lions made 310-8 from their 50 overs. Captain James Taylor top-scored with 106.

England then dismissed the tourists for 213 to wrap up a 97-run victory in 41.2 overs.