English spinner Adil Rashid has set a weird milestone during the 2nd Test match against India at Lord’s. He became the 14th cricketer to go through a Test match without batting, bowling or being part of a dismissal on the field during a Test match.
During the Lord’s Test, the English seamers left no stone unturned to dismantle the Indian batting line-up. In the first innings, the visitors were bowled out for 107. While in the second, they were bundled up for 130, ultimately losing the game by an innings and 159 runs.
Since the pace bowlers prevailed, Rashid didn’t have much role to play. Moreover, when it came to bat, skipper Joe Root declared the innings before his turn came.
Hence he became the 14th player to pull off the somewhat unwanted feat in 2315 Test matches over the years. Before Rashid, it was England’s Garreth Batty, who didn’t have to bat or bowl in a Test match against Bangladesh, back in 2005. The visitors rolled over for 108 and 159, and England hit up 528/3 before declaring their only innings.
Rashid’s return in whites had already created enough controversy in the English cricket fraternity. His inclusion wasn’t liked a few former English skippers including Michael Vaughan and Geoffrey Boycott.