Growing self-belief helps put Adil Rashid at top of his game

The Yorkshire first team coach gave Rashid a glowing endorsement as he reflected on his progress during the winter.

Rashid played for Adelaide Strikers in the Australian Big Bash, the franchise Gillespie coached to the semi-finals.

Rashid was the competition’s joint second-highest wicket-taker with 16 in nine matches at an average of 14.

And Gillespie – who fully backed England’s decision to let Rashid play in the T20 event rather than spend weeks on the sidelines in the South Africa Test series behind first-choice spinner Moeen Ali – feels Rashid has taken a big step forward.

“I think Rash is the best spinner England have,” he said. “That’s just my personal opinion.

“Leggies are like gold. If you get a good leggie, you try to find a way to make it work.

“It’s a tough one (for England). Moeen Ali hasn’t done much wrong, to be perfectly honest, and England also like his batting.

“Moeen cops a bit of a bad rap at times because he’s still suffering the stigma of being seen as a batsman who bowls a bit, but he’s a proper off-spinner.

“I think people look at him and think he’s a batter who bowls, whereas Rash is seen as the genuine spinning option.

“I think they can both play in the Test side, especially with the number of all-rounders they’ve got.

“Rash’s goal is to be England’s No 1, and I think there’s a strong chance he’ll achieve that.”

Gillespie – who is hoping to extend Rashid’s two-year deal with the Strikers – has played an important part in the player’s development.

The former Australia fast bowler speaks the language that Rashid understands, urging him to spin the ball hard in an effort to take wickets.

“The language you use with Rash is absolutely crucial,” stressed Gillespie.

“In four-day cricket, for instance, if you say to him, ‘Mate, you’ve got to go for under three an over’, you’re asking for trouble. He just interprets that as defensive and spears the ball in.

“Whereas if you say to him, ‘You can have the field you want provided that you spin the ball hard and get it above the batsman’s eyes, then all of a sudden he starts thinking of his craft instead of the prospect of going for runs.

“If he gets hit for runs, so be it. He’s at his best when he’s trying to take wickets.”

It is for that reason that Gillespie was not perturbed when Rashid returned figures of 0-163 from 34 overs in the first innings of his Test debut against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi last October.

They were the worst figures by a Test debutant, but Rashid hit back to take 5-64 from 18.5 overs in the second innings in a display that spoke volumes for his character.

“England should be pleased with his progress,” said Gillespie. “I thought he bowled well against Pakistan.

“Some people criticised his numbers, but I wouldn’t read too much into those. After all, Shane Warne got belted for 150 in his first Test match.”

Gillespie considers Rashid’s fightback in that match – allied to his impressive displays for the Strikers – as clear evidence that the player has confidence in what he is trying to do.

“One thing I noticed in the Big Bash was that Rash was really trusting his bowling,” said Gillespie.

“I think in the past sometimes Rash hasn’t quite believed that he can do it; a simple example would be that he would want to get very defensive with his fields, which is fine, especially when he comes on early, but the best thing he can do is get the ball up and spin it hard.

“Now his focus is better and it didn’t surprise me one bit that he did well in the Big Bash.

“He’d played in Australia before, of course, and he’s a better bowler than he was then, and he’s something of a cult figure now in Adelaide.”

Gillespie praised England captain Eoin Morgan’s handling of Rashid, which will be demonstrated again shortly in the World T20, and reiterated how much he had enjoyed his coaching position with the Strikers.

“I loved it,” he said. “I found the whole experience a lot of fun, and I worked with some fantastic people.

“Obviously to lose in the semi-finals was disappointing, but we gave it our best shot and it was a positive experience.”

n Yorkshire’s two-day friendly against Derbyshire, starting on April 5, will be played behind closed doors due to building work at the Derby venue.