One of the reasons for England's great success in ODI cricket over the last couple of years as well as their triumph in the World Cup is the impactful and consistent performance of Adil Rashid. Considered an all-rounder at the start of his career, Rashid has turned into a major strike bowler for the three lions and has often picked up key wickets for his team at crucial times.
Rashid plays for Yorkshire and belongs to a family whose ancestral home lies in modern-day Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. The leg-spinner got an opportunity to connect with the land of his forefathers recently when he visited the region to help a charity organisation provide relief to sufferers from an earthquake that hit the area on September 24 this year.
This visit, according to the man himself, helped him greatly in his psychological struggle with a nagging shoulder injury which had been troubling him from before the World Cup. While the Yorkshire-based cricketer managed to be part of his team's winning campaign in that event, the injury had become serious afterward and threatened his participation in upcoming matches.
The sight of the damage done by the earthquake made the 31-years old player realize where cricket stands in the larger scheme of things. He revealed his thoughts in an interview given to British newspaper Daily Mail.
"There was a lot of destruction and at the time I was doing my rehab, so it was the perfect opportunity for me to go and see what had happened, how bad the damage was and for me to give a helping hand. It does put things in perspective. That's life and death. Our problems are playing a game we enjoy," Rashid explained.
He also talked about his emotions on hearing the news of the earthquake and his attempts to provide relief through his association with Islamic Relief – a charity organisation.
"For me to hear about the news was upsetting, as it's a place close to my heart. I'm sure it was upsetting for a lot of people from a Pakistani Kashmir background. I helped them hand out kit and went round seeing the areas that were damaged."
The leggie is now ready to return to international cricket with the T20I series between his team and hosts New Zealand that gets underway on Friday, November 1. This will be England's first opportunity to play limited-overs international cricket since winning the World Cup in July. The series will also be crucial due to the T20 World Cup being less than a year away.
