Young spinners in England will always make headlines if they take wickets. When it is a young legspinner the hype is magnified. When it is a young spinner of Pakistani extraction, brought up in Yorkshire, the sense of excitement becomes palpable. Adil Rashid, the player who above all symbolized Yorkshire’s growing success in fostering strong relationships in its minority ethnic communities, burst onto the scene with six wickets against Warwickshire on his first-class debut in 2006 at Scarborough. There was a sense in Yorkshire’s much-loved seaside town that afternoon as Rashid cut through Warwickshire that a historic breakthrough had been made and more than one Yorkshire supporter observed Rashid’s performance with hearts uplifted.
At home, Rashid enjoyed his most productive season for Yorkshire in 2010, scoring 732 first-class runs at 45.75 and taking 57 wickets at 31.29. He began the 2011 season with a bang, taking 6 for 77 and 5 for 37 to secure victory against Worcestershire at New Road, the best figures for a leg-spinner in Yorkshire history, but failed to maintain his form, finishing the season with 39 wickets at 43.38. From 10 Championship matches in 2012 he totalled only 16 wickets and 129 runs and his discontent was apparent.

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