Rashid open to recall, former skippers wary

In-form leg-spinner Adil Rashid says he'd consider a recall to the Test side despite only recently giving away red-ball cricket, but two former England captains have urged selectors to look at "the bigger picture".

England's number one spinner in their trend-setting white-ball sides, Rashid turned his back on the longer format in February and has opted not to play four-day cricket for his county Yorkshire.

The 30-year-old has since collected 25 wickets at 23.68 in 13 international limited-overs matches against Australia, India and Scotland this northern summer, including the prized scalp of Virat Kohli in an ODI with a delivery one British newspaper compared to Shane Warne's famed 'Gatting Ball'.

Rashid played the last of his 10 Tests in December 2016, but has never pulled on the England whites on home soil. 

His Test numbers (38 wickets at 43) are respectable and England have struggled to settle on a first-choice spin option for their Test team. Selectors lost faith with Moeen Ali following a sub-par Ashes campaign, while youngsters Mason Crane, Dom Bess as well as left-armer Jack Leach have all been tried this year.

It means Rashid appears as good a chance as any of the above to play against India, with the leggie saying he'd be open to a return.

"If England do want me to be part of the squad for the Test series against India then I'll consider it," he wrote in a column for Sky Sports.

"I made the decision earlier this year to focus on playing white-ball cricket to see how it felt but always knew that if I found I was missing red-ball cricket then I would go back to it.

"So if the selectors come and show faith in me then I would consider it, whatever role they want me to do. It would certainly be nice to bowl to Virat Kohli again!"

England's new head selector Ed Smith has shown he isn't against picking players for the Test team on white-ball form. 

Despite having missed the start of the county season, Jos Buttler was picked for the two-Test series against Pakistan in May having had a superb Indian Premier League campaign for Rajasthan Royals.

But Buttler remains available for first-class cricket, and will line up for Lancashire in the 'Roses' clash with rivals Yorkshire in a County Championship game beginning Sunday that is also featuring Jimmy Anderson, Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root.

But as former England skipper Michael Vaughan (a Yorkshire product) pointed out, Rashid is not playing.

"Surely Adil Rashid's position is simple," Vaughan tweeted. "If he commits to playing red-ball cricket for Yorkshire, he becomes available for selection!!!! If not, he should not be considered.

"I don’t think it’s a lot to ask of a player if he wants to play Test cricket to at least be available for the county game .. He could play this Sunday in an (sic) Roses clash," he added.

Vaughan's predecessor Nasser Hussain also expressed concern over potentially picking a player who has snubbed domestic four-day cricket.

"There'll be England fans that'll say 'don't worry about all this nonsense, he's a very good bowler, he's just got Kohli out with a magnificent delivery'," Hussain told Sky.

"As selectors, you've also got to set the template for the future, I'm not sure you can just have lads not playing for their county and not playing red-ball cricket.

"You've also got to look at the bigger picture as the selectors and the ECB. If he has one bad game, then what happens? Does he make himself unavailable again?"

But current Test wicketkeeper Bairstow said the door is open for Rashid.

"There’s still an opportunity for him (Rashid) to come back and play," said Bairstow. "I don’t think it’s a closed book. Absolutely I would like him to, but it’s his decision. As team-mates, we stand by him."

England will name their Test squad this week ahead of the first Test against India on August 1 at Edgbaston.