ADIL RASHID received a hero’s welcome on his return to Bradford after helping England to clinch the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. His home city arranged a street party for him outside his uncle’s shop where the cricketer was cheered by hundreds of supporters.

“I never thought it’d be like this. It’s a great feeling, knowing that all the friends, family, community, are all here supporting me. Hopefully we can now kick on for the next generation of cricketers, hopefully they’ll see the game and be inspired,” the 31-year old told the gathering.Rashid is sure to inspire more.

His long loved club Yorkshire is planning to honour him when they open a new cricket centre at Bradford Park Avenue. The county cricket club will name some part of the centre after Rashid, their most successful academy graduate of British Asian origin.

The centre itself is part of the ECB’s South Asian Action Plan, making it a fitting gesture for the man and his community. The leg spinner played a significant role in England’s World Cup mission, taking 11 wickets, including the three against Australia in the semi final match. And, he played the tournament braving a shoulder injury, with the help of pain-masking injections.

Yet, his decision to withdraw from Yorkshire squads in August, following medical advice of two months of rest, caused consternation among some of the club fans. Rashid is much loved at Headingley, and has given brilliant performances with both bat and ball for the county, but it seems fans always demand more from him. Rashid’s strong performance against India in one day internationals has earned him a recall to the test squad against the same opponents in the 2018 home series. But this surprised many Yorkshire fans as he had informed the club his plans to