Adil Rashid confirms he has 'not closed the door' on Test cricket

Adil Rashid has insisted that he has "not closed the door on Test cricket" and has been in contact with Brendon McCullum, England's new coach, about the possibility of returning to red-ball cricket after an absence of three-and-a-half years.

Rashid's last Test appearance came in Barbados in January 2019 and he has not played a first-class game since then, focusing instead on the ODI and T20 World Cups in 2019 and 2021 and managing a persistent shoulder injury that has previously required painkilling injections.

But McCullum said at his unveiling that he wanted to "have the conversation" with some of England's white-ball specialists and work out whether they are interested in playing certain Test series, with Rashid likely to be in contention for the Pakistan tour at the end of this year if he declared himself available.

"Brendon's reached out to me - just a text to check how things are," Rashid told the Daily Mail. "I've not closed the door on Test cricket. I've not retired or anything like that. It's something that's still there. It's everyone's dream to play Test cricket and I'm no different.

"It's always exciting when something new comes along. Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes both like to be positive and attacking. That drives me on and it's very exciting."

Rashid added that his shoulder has "been quite good now for a while, though I have to stay on top of it," but acknowledged that "a lot else has got to happen" in order for a Test recall to become a realistic proposition.

That would include a stint playing County Championship cricket for Yorkshire in September, the only realistic window in Rashid's schedule to make a red-ball return. "If he wants to restart his red-ball career, playing for us would be the best place to do that," Ottis Gibson, Yorkshire's coach, said earlier this year.

"We would love to have him and I've told him that but he's made his decision. I've told him we would love him to play some red-ball cricket if down the line it's something he'd like to do."

Moeen Ali, Rashid's close friend who retired from Test cricket last year, has also left the door open for a potential return in recent days, saying last week: "Brendon is a straight, honest guy - we've had a chat and maybe in the future, potential tours or whatever... who knows?"