Rashid spins into England first Test squad

Trevor Bayliss has stamped his arrival as England coach with the selection of uncapped leg-spinner Adil Rashid and the recall of Steven Finn among a 13-man squad for the first Test, beginning on July 8 in Cardiff.

Rashid, a 27-year-old with 392 first-class wickets to his name, took four wickets in England's ODI series opener against the Black Caps recently, and Bayliss liked what he saw.

“We want to give ourselves the option to play two spinners – if we get down there and the conditions suit two spinners then we’ve got the option," he said.

“I obviously watched a lot of the one-day series on TV and he played very, very well so it does give us an option of being able to spin the ball both ways (with Moeen Ali’s off-spin).

“It’s a good thing to have.”

Rashid's Yorkshire coach Jason Gillespie was vocal in his support of including his charge ahead of incumbent spinner Moeen Ali against the Australians. 

“The reason I would look to push for Rashid – and forget the county allegiance – is that you have Root and Lyth who can bowl off-spin,” Gillespie said in his column with The Guardian.

“Why wouldn’t you have a spinner who turns it both ways? Is that harsh on Moeen Ali? It probably is and if he was top six you could look at it differently but the fact is he’s at No8, and what is best for the side would be to have a leg-spinner to complement the four quicks and the two lads who can bowl decent off-breaks.

“But I just can’t see England going down that path.”

It remains to be seen whether Rashid will be given an opportunity over Ali, who is viewed by many in England as batting allrounder but has been slotting into the national side at No8. 

The selection of Finn was also an interesting one, with the towering 26-year-old having not played a Test in almost two years having fallen out of favour in the five-day format while shining in one-day cricket.

He was preferred ahead of fast-bowling duo Liam Plunkett and Mark Footitt, both of whom travelled to Spain on England's just-completed pre-Ashes training camp.

“During the one-day series he looked like he was back on song and bowling well," Bayliss added. “He’ll be there as a back-up to the guys who have come off a good series against New Zealand in case something happens to one of those guys.

“Then we’ve got someone there ready to go.”

England squad first Ashes Test: Alastair Cook (c), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Gary Balance, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Steven Finn, Adam Lyth, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Mark Wood.

Bayliss officially started as England coach last Friday, giving him 12 days to prepare for the Ashes opener in Cardiff.

His first duty was to take his charges to Spain, where they have been bonding at the Desert Springs golf resort in Almeria, where fancy dress quiz nights and golf were high on the team's agenda, as well as training at the cricket facilities available at the resort.

Bayliss's arrival to take charge of England shortly before the biggest series on the nation's cricket calendar is somewhat similar to the challenge faced by Darren Lehmann in 2013, when he was handed the reins 16 days before the series started.

Lehmann was able to turn the team's culture around, empowering them to thrash England 5-0 in the return series then defeat world No.1 South Africa on their home turf in February-March 2014.

However, despite improvements towards the end of that 2013 Ashes series, Australia were still rolled 3-0.

"I know when Darren Lehmann took over just before an Ashes series here, it takes a bit of time to be able to really find your feet as a team (under a new coach)," allrounder Shan Watson said.

"English cricket is only going to benefit out of what he's going to bring, hopefully that's in three or four months' time that we'll really see those benefits.

"But there's no doubt, by getting Trevor Bayliss, they're certainly on the right track."

Watson was full of praise for the former NSW mentor.

"He's a great man, he's a very good coach," he said. "He understands the game very well, he doesn't put any excessive pressure on players but he certainly knows how to try and get the best out of them.

“He's certainly a huge asset for English cricket."

Pace icon Glenn McGrath, who started his first-class career alongside Bayliss, praised the appointment but also cautioned against expecting too much too soon.

"To have a new coach come on and have success straight away is always a big ask," McGrath said. "But you never know."

Watson noted Bayliss would be sharing some "inside information" from his time with NSW, Australia and the Sydney Sixers.

But Mitchell Johnson doubted whether it would matter much come July 8, when the long-awaited series begins in Wales.

"He's probably got a bit of dirt on us,” Johnson added. “But that doesn't mean a hell of lot when you are out in the middle.”

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