The Hundred: Adil Rashid looks to play key role to help Northern Superchargers end trophy wait

Harry Brook’s team finished third in the final league standings to set up a date with Trent Rockets in the Eliminator at the Oval today.

“We have a very good squad and we have got all bases covered in terms of batting, bowling, and fielding,” said the Yorkshire all-rounder.

"We will be quite confident going into the semi-final.”

With 45 wickets in 39 appearances, Rashid stands as the joint second-highest wicket-taker in the Hundred’s history. However, statistics only tell part of the story.

This season, the England spinner claimed just seven wickets in eight matches for Andrew Flintoff’s Northern Superchargers, his influence extending far beyond raw numbers.

“As a bowler, you always like to get three or four wickets every game, but sometimes it's not possible,” added Rashid. “Even for myself, if you don't get the wickets but you can keep it tight in a situation or bowl a good five or ten balls, it just changes the momentum. That's more vital than getting a wicket.

“This season is going okay; there have been some good games. I had some matches where I didn't get wickets and went for a few runs, but I reckon that’s part and parcel of The Hundred.

"It’s hard to go into every single game, getting two to three wickets and not going for runs because you're playing such a format, where the batters are very talented, and they can hit four and six (on good balls), and you're playing on grounds which sometimes suit the batters.”

South Africa’s David Miller, meanwhile, believes Brook is destined to enjoy a stellar career across all formats.

Spearheading the Supechargers’ middle-order, captain Brook has amassed 221 runs in 8 matches, the 26-year-old notching up his first half-century of the ongoing season against table-toppers Oval Invincibles in Leeds.

“Harry has shown in his career that he is one of the best,” said Miller, who has contributed 105 runs from 61 balls in four innings for the Superchargers. “He does take bowlers down and bowlers are intimidated by him even before he walks on the wicket. When people start fearing you, then it's trouble for the bowlers.

"He has come in and made a difference in all of the innings he has played so far. He plays all around the ground. He doesn't overthink certain things. What he has shown so far, he is going to have a great career. England are lucky to have him.”

The Superchargers come up against a Rockets team containing an in-form Joe Root, another player admired by Miller, the pair former team-mates at Headingley when Miller was there in 2012 as a T20 specialist batter.

Root has excelled in this year’s tournament and goes into today’s Oval encounter seventh-highest in the run-scoring table, posting 228 runs from 168 balls in eight innings.

His form is not something that surprises Miller.

"There are so many phenomenal batters, and to say who is the best, obviously, Joe Root,” added Miller. "He has played for 10-15 years now, being one of the best batters ever.”

Miller attributes the Superchargers’ top three finish in large part to the coaching team of Andrew Flintoff and assistant Ben Stokes.

He added: “It’s always good to have experience in the camp. Not being able to play, Stokes is giving his time to the team. Flintoff is super-relaxed, has a lot of experience and is one of the greats of the game. It’s a good recipe.”