Young spinners in England will always make headlines if they take wickets. When it is a young legspinner the hype is magnified. When it is a young spinner of Pakistani extraction, brought up in Yorkshire, the sense of excitement becomes palpable. Adil Rashid, the player who above all symbolized Yorkshire's growing success in fostering strong relationships in its minority ethnic communities, burst onto the scene with six wickets against Warwickshire on his first-class debut in 2006 at Scarborough. There was a sense in Yorkshire's much-loved seaside town that afternoon as Rashid cut through Warwickshire that a historic breakthrough had been made and more than one Yorkshire supporter observed Rashid's performance with hearts uplifted.

Rashid's performances for England Under-19s also caught the eye with a century and an eight-wicket haul during the second Test against India. But he suffered a stress fracture in his back in the close season which forced him to remodel his action, which is now more side-on.

His profile rose further in 2007 when he struck his maiden Championship century against Worcestershire in August and at the end of the season the Cricket Writers' Club made him their Young Cricketer of the Year. In 2008 he enjoyed his most prolific season with 62 wickets in the County Championship and was a late addition to the squad for the Test series in India. That trip was purely for experience, however, as was the tour to West Indies which followed, but even so his career shone with potential.

Rashid responded the following season with 545 runs at 68.12, including two hundreds, and picked up 31 wickets at 36.06 in the 2009 first-class season. His statistics in one-day and Twenty20 cricket were more modest, but the selectors held faith in his potential, and Rashid made his England debut during the World Twenty in June of that year. He also played in the post-Ashes one-day series against Australia, but his most notable achievement came with the bat when he scored a quick-fire 31 in the narrow defeat at The Oval.

Rashid was included in the party to tour South Africa in 2009-10, but had a difficult time on the trip. He began amid high hopes that his combination of legspin and promising lower-order batting could cement a permanent role in the side, but his solitary over in the second Twenty20 went for 25, then he bowled three overs for 27 in the second ODI before being left out for a fit-again Graeme Swann. When he was released from the one-day party, James Tredwell, the Kent offspinner, remained on stand-by which suggested Rashid had fallen down the pecking order.

Yorkshire, by now, were showing signs of disquiet over Rashid's bowling - with demands that he bowled much quicker - and faltering confidence when he returned from England duty. His county form faltered and he was omitted from the Bangladesh touring party in January 2010 , although he did win a place in the England Lions squad to tour UAE in February and was called-up briefly for the end of the World Cup campaign.

Rashid represented England Lions again when they took part in the regional first-class competition in the West Indies (formerly known as the Shell Shield and the Carib Beer Cup) in 2011 but has been overlooked for international cricket since.

At home, Rashid enjoyed his most productive season for Yorkshire in 2010, scoring 732 first-class runs at 45.75 and taking 57 wickets at 31.29. He began the 2011 season with a bang, taking 6 for 77 and 5 for 37 to secure victory against Worcestershire at New Road, the best figures for a leg-spinner in Yorkshire history, but failed to maintain his form, finishing the season with 39 wickets at 43.38. From 10 Championship matches in 2012 he totalled only 16 wickets and 129 runs, although he showed signs of a return to form at the end of the campaign. A career that had begun with so much excitement had reached a crossroads.

ESPNcricinfo - January 2013