Rashid omission costs England in Pakistan tri-series but tactical fixes remain for Australia
England missed out on the final of the KFC Presents Bank Alfalah ODI Tri-Series in Pakistan on Saturday after leaving leg-spinner Adil Rashid out of their last three matches, a selection decision described in the series as puzzling.
The tour had begun promisingly — Gus Atkinson struck with the first ball and England aimed for a fourth consecutive ODI series win after beating Sri Lanka home and away this year and following a strong summer showing against Pakistan with the Dukes ball. Yet two matches slipped from their grasp despite dominant positions: they posted 429 against Sri Lanka only to lose when the visitors chased 430, and a chase of 242 against Pakistan collapsed after a late reprieve for the hosts.
No one has played more ODIs for England in the last decade than Rashid, who missed the end of the summer with a hand injury, twirled expensively in the opening game against Pakistan and was then omitted for the next three fixtures. Brendon McCullum said that "conditions probably went against" the selection of Rashid as England opted for the skiddier left-arm spin of Liam Dawson, presumably hoping Dawson would replicate the success of Pakistan’s Arafat Minhas; Dawson finished the tri-series with seven wickets at 21.42 and an economy rate of five.
Rashid’s strengths — the googly to compensate when the leg-break is off and extra revs when pitches offer little — have been central to his value since 2015, and he and Dawson have prospered together in the white-ball T20 side over the last 18 months as the leading wicket-takers in that group, which topped the world rankings. The selectors might consider restoring Rashid for the three ODIs in Australia next month, where he has a strong 50-over record and the happy memories of a T20 World Cup win.
Sam Curran, the left-armer who was player of the tournament in that World Cup four years ago with 13 wickets at 11.38, returned from groin surgery but conceded 103 runs in the historic loss to Sri Lanka and remains, in the writer’s words, "a bit of a mystery eight years after his international debut." Curran began as a bowler who could hit the ball sweetly but has been used in this ODI side as a middle-order batter who does not bowl a full allocation — a role Ben Stokes once occupied — and he has yet to register a fifty since returning to the 50-over setup a year ago.
England’s batting showed encouraging signs: the opening partnership has clicked and Harry Brook produced an extraordinary double hundred despite finishing on the losing side. Selection questions persist, however, including how to reintegrate Jacob Bethell into the XI; one option mentioned is Tom Banton taking the gloves while Bethell replaces Jordan Cox in the middle order. Jofra Archer will return in Australia after a period of rest, and pairing him with Josh Tongue — who has had a difficult start to his ODI career but produced back-to-back balls that hit the stumps in the final over as Sri Lanka chased 430 — remains an appealing possibility.
England have missed a final that would have provided an extra match before next year’s World Cup, but the upcoming series in Australia and South Africa should provide further opportunities to adjust tactics and personnel; there is, the piece concludes, no need to panic just yet.