Rashid gets ready to play part in Yorkshire’s final push

ADIL Rashid is back and ready to spin Yorkshire towards the First Division.

The 24-year-old has endured a miserable couple of seasons with 2011 yielding 39 expensive first-class wickets and this year seeing the one-time England man suffer the ignominy of being dropped by his county.

But after returning to the White Rose ranks and taking his first County Championship scalp in almost 11 weeks, Rashid insists he is ready to play his part in the promotion race.

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“It was nice to get out there and play some cricket,” said the leg-spinner after taking 1-25 from nine tidy overs as Northamptonshire ended a rain-curtailed second day 74 runs adrift of the visitors with seven wickets in hand.

“I have found it frustrating (this season) but now we have four or five Championship games left and, hopefully, I can do something for the club.

“Finding my form has been difficult and I have not bowled a lot. Plus when coming back into the side (for Twenty20 and CB40 cricket), I have wanted to do really well and that has maybe put pressure on me.

“But I now feel the best I have for a while. I have had a long time to work on things, to work on my action and the mental side of the game.”

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Before yesterday’s stint at Wantage Road, Rashid had bowled just one over – at Colwyn Bay in June in the heavily rain-affected draw against Glamorgan – in the Championship since May 19.

However, he was the pick of the Yorkshire attack against Northamptonshire with the beautifully-flighted delivery that accounted for Alex Wakely in the third over of his spell being of such quality that it suggested a long overdue return to form may well be imminent.

Rashid added: “Confidence comes with playing. Even the best players in the world can go through bad patches. Form is temporary, class is permanent.

“I have been up and down but I want to come back on a high now.

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“Personally, I feel I bowled pretty well. I felt threatening and I felt good. I didn’t bowl many bad balls.

“Every ball looked like something might happen but I realise I still have a long way to go. Once I get a couple of wickets, I can really get into my stride.

“I want to make a big impact. Hopefully, the weather can stay dry.”

The weather, of course, is the one imponderable of what is shaping up to be a thrilling climax to the Second Division season as a host of sides chase promotion.

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Yesterday, for instance, was yet another frustrating affair for Yorkshire as 38.2 overs were lost to the rain.

Eleven of those came midway through the afternoon when two showers led to play being halted, while the remainder were a result of the almighty downpour that struck Northampton shortly before 4.30pm and left the umpires with no option but to abandon play due to the outfield being sodden.

The upshot is the White Rose county having now lost 1,836.2 overs – or 41.58 per cent of scheduled play – this summer and there can be little doubt this is impacting on the push for promotion.

Having said that, the heavens opening yesterday for the final time may well have done Yorkshire a favour as Northamptonshire were firmly in the ascendancy.

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Certainly, the burgeoning partnership between Stephen Peters and Rob Newton that had seen 69 runs added in what turned out to be the final 18 overs of the day was threatening to fire Andrew Gale’s side out of the game.

Had the rain not arrived, the suspicion was that the pair, who looked less and less troubled the longer the afternoon went on, would have put Northamptonshire into a commanding position by the close.

As it is, the visitors still have hope with a few early wickets this morning certain to change the complexion of the game.

To make those inroads, however, Yorkshire will have to bowl with more of a cutting edge than they managed yesterday on a slow track.

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Rashid apart, the attack lacked the accuracy that Northamptonshire had managed on the previous day when bowling the visitors out for 249.

Peters, in particular, took advantage to finish unbeaten on 74 following an imperious knock that saw Yorkshire given not so much of a sniff in his 158 balls at the crease. It took the White Rose county until the 24th over to make the breakthrough when Kyle Coetzer cut Azeem Rafiq to Phil Jaques at gully, by which time 66 runs had been scored.

Just over half an hour remained of the opening session but Yorkshire did manage to claim a second scalp before lunch when David Sales pushed at a decent delivery from Richard Pryah and Adam Lyth gratefully accepted the chance to his left in the slips.

Rashid’s big moment then came in the seventh over of the afternoon to leave Northamptonshire on 106-3 before Peters and Newton led the fightback and ensure their side ended the day the happier of the two.

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Rashid, though, insists all is far from lost. He said: “There is a lot of cricket still to play.

“We have to come out in the morning and take some early wickets.

“We need to get them all out around our score or just under. We have the bowling unit to do that.

“There is a bit of spin, it is slow spin because this is a slow pitch. It would be great to bowl in tandem with Azeem (Rafiq) and put us back in the game.”