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Rashid need not be an Asian specialist - Bayliss

England's coach Trevor Bayliss has said there should be no reason why Adil Rashid's Test appearances are restricted solely to Asia

Andrew McGlashan
Andrew McGlashan
18-Oct-2015
Adil Rashid could be a man for all seasons  •  Getty Images

Adil Rashid could be a man for all seasons  •  Getty Images

Trevor Bayliss, the England coach, believes Adil Rashid can play a role in all conditions - not just Asia - after the legspinner produced an immense show of resolve in Abu Dhabi with a five-wicket haul to almost conjure a stunning victory.
Bayliss said Rashid had remained "pretty philosophical" after his record-breaking none for 163 in the first innings. But even if he had not responded in such dramatic fashion it is very unlikely England would have lost faith so quickly. They see Rashid as a long-term investment, an attacking spin bowler who can add a vital component to a developing side.
If he continues the form he showed late in the first Test - coming into his own against a nervous batting line-up with only survival to play for on a pitch that had, at last, developed some wear and tear - there is a chance England will try to fit him into their line-ups in conditions where they may previously have not considered two spinners.
After the UAE tour they head to South Africa for a four-Test series followed by a home summer against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. A 2016-17 season in Asia then beckons with series against India and Bangladesh where Rashid should expect to be a key figure if his development continues.
"He's definitely not a selection for just here," Bayliss said. "It will come down to whether he is bowling well enough to stay in the team and it's a lot easier to keep him in the team if you've got Moeen Ali batting in the top six or seven and Ben Stokes in there as well. The possibilities of combinations we are able to play with those guys in the team are there."
Bayliss, who played against Shane Warne during his Sheffield Shield career and then coached Stuart MacGill at New South Wales, has brought an Australian understanding of legspin to the England coaching role. However, he said the desire to find a place for Rashid also stemmed from Andrew Strauss, the director of England cricket, during early discussions the pair had when he was appointed in May.
Rashid is just England's fourth legspinner since 1971 following Ian Salisbury, Chris Schofield and Scott Borthwick who have a combined total of 18 caps between them. Salisbury, who curiously also took five wickets on his debut against Pakistan at Lord's in 1992, although spread across two innings, played 15 times over eight years. Schofield, picked in haste as a 21-year-old in 2000, was discarded after a two-Test series against Zimbabwe where he bowled in just one innings (although did make a brief, unexpected return in the T20 side in 2007) while Borthwick, so far, only has his appearance from Sydney when England were in disarray at the end of the 2013-14 Ashes.
While not able to offer a definitive view on why English cricket has had such a difficult relationship with legspin, Bayliss suggested that too much emphasis on economy rates, and holding the game, had made them wary of a style of bowling that needs courage of conviction and often a few deep breaths. Along with England's new approach to one-day cricket and their increasing expressiveness in Test matches - when conditions allow - Rashid is a part of New England.
"Usually legspinners are a little more expensive and maybe not quite as accurate," Bayliss said. "Maybe English cricket over the last few years has had a bit too much of an emphasis on not going for runs. My belief is that the best way to stop the runs is by taking wickets.
"I think a legspinner brings a little bit of unpredictability. They spin it both ways so the batter has got to make a decision on what way it's spinning as well as line and length. They get more work on the ball so that it can drop and a leg-spinner just seems to take wickets from nowhere. Come the fifth day that's what you want to see from your leg-spinner. You want him to use the conditions and, especially, clean up the tail."
The other element to Rashid's debut was the captaincy of Alastair Cook. Although Cook was skipper when Borthwick played in Sydney, he and the team were in such a bedraggled state that little worthwhile could be learned. In Abu Dhabi it was the start of a fresh contest and the building of a Test-match relationship between Cook and Rashid that will hopefully have some longevity.
Bayliss praised the advisory role played by Mahela Jayawardene - who has now completed his stint with England in the UAE, although Bayliss said he would be very keen to have him back in the future - while adding that Cook will be better for the experience of the first Test.
"Mahela was fantastic. Like anything for the first time, there are small tweaks with field placements we can look at - it needs the bowler bowling well - and don't forget these Pakistan players are very good players of spin which makes it more difficult. We have recognised a few things from this Test that will hopefully be a bit different for the next that will give us a bit more of an advantage."

Andrew McGlashan is a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo