Adil Rashid confirms shoulder problem is easing after pre-World Cup scare

Rashid played as England's only spinner in their win over Bangladesh, with Moeen Ali left out in favour of Liam Plunkett

England spinner Adil Rashid has confirmed that a shoulder problem that threatened to affect his World Cup participation is almost behind him.

The issue, which was revealed when England selected their final 15-man World Cup squad, had not seen Rashid miss any of England’s three group games so far, but had been part of the reasoning offered for Liam Dawson’s inclusion in the party at the expense of Joe Denly, who had been initially named on the provisional list.

“[I’m] always fit to play,” Rashid said after taking one wicket in England’s comfortable victory ove Bangladesh on Saturday.

“I have had a bit of shoulder problem before the past couple of weeks, but now it’s getting stronger, getting there, and hopefully it remains strong for the rest of the tournament.”

Rashid could have been forgiven for feeling somewhat out of place during England’s win, with his spin twin, Moeen Ali, left out by Eoin Morgan to accommodate Liam Plunkett as an extra seam-bowling option. The short straight boundaries of the Cardiff venue make fielding two spinners a risk.

^{Rashid dismissed Mohammad Mithun in England's win over Bangladesh.}

“It felt a bit different, because me and Mo have been paying together on the same team for the past two years,” the leg-spinner admitted. “With him not being there, it does feel a bit different [in that] you have to adjust and do your own thing.”

Rashid reserved special praise for Jason Roy, who recovered from a personal nightmare during England’s defeat against Pakistan, where he dropped a straightforward catch and wasted a review after being dismissed for eight, to make 153 against Bangladesh.

“We have [Roy], Bairstow, who can score very quickly, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Morgan. It’s not just Jason Roy who’s the person who is the equivalent to Chris Gayle.

“Chris Gayle is in his own league, whatever, but it’s good to have JR and JB at the top of the order. They attack the ball and nice to have that. I think Bairstow and Roy are the best opening combination in the world.”

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