Not Root Or Stokes! Rashid Picks Ex-Captain As England's Most Talented Player
Root holds the record for scoring the most runs for England in Tests, ODIs and international cricket. He is also England's most successful Test captain.
Premier England spinner Adil Rashid ignored legendary Joe Root and England's Test captain Ben Stokes to pick a former captain of England's white-ball teams as the most talented English player. According to Rashid, who has picked up 419 wickets for England in 298 international matches played so far, wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler is England's most talented player.
While speaking on the Beard Before Wicket podcast, Rashid said, 'It's hard to say one person. Let's say (Jos) Buttler. He's probably, arguably, England's best white-ball player."
Since making his international debut for the English team against India during a T20I match played in Manchester on August 31, 2011, 34-year-old Buttler has featured in 57 Tests, 190 ODIs and 137 T20Is and has scored 2907, 5274 and 3700 runs, respectively.
Buttler played a big role in England's 2019 ODI World Cup title win, and under his leadership, England also won the 2022 edition of the T20 World Cup.
Root, on the other hand, is England's leading run scorer in Test and ODI cricket. The 34-year-old right-handed batter from Yorkshire has 13,543 runs to his credit in 158 Test matches. Only Sachin Tendulkar of India has scored more runs than him in the five-day format of the game. On June 1, 2025, he scored 166 runs from just 139 balls for the Harry Brook-led side against the West Indies in Cardiff to become England's leading run getter in the 50-over format of the game, and in the process, he also became the first cricketer from England to score 7000 runs in ODIs.
Stokes made his international debut against Ireland in Dublin on August 25, 2011, during an ODI match, and since then has played 115 Tests, 114 ODIs and 43 T20 Internationals. The New Zealand-born all-rounder who bats left-handed and bowls medium pace has scored more than 11,080 runs in international cricket in addition to dismissing 330 batters.
He has been the full-time captain of England's Test side since June 2022, and under his leadership, the Poms have won 22 out of 37 matches.
view comments
First Published:
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
11 minutes ago
- Mint
'He just wants to run in, bowl fast day after day...': Flintoff hails pacer Baker on maiden English call-up
Leeds [UK], August 16 (ANI): Former England captain Andrew Flintoff hailed young pacer Sonny Baker, who earned his maiden call-up to the English side for the ODIs against South Africa at home and T20Is against Ireland away from home. Flintoff, who is the head coach of England's developmental Lions squad, was the one who handed Baker his first-class debut during the tour to Australia back in 2025. During the tour, he took eight wickets in two matches. Speaking to Sky Sports, Flintoff, coaching Northern Superchargers in The Hundred, said, "Sonny Baker has been announced in the squad. Unbelievable." "He came in, we gave him his first-class debut in Australia. Runs in, bowls quick, but what a joy to work with. He is just a cracking lad. He writes everything down, he hangs on your every word." "He just wants to run in, bowl fast day after day. As a coach of the Lions, that is what you want to see," he concluded. During the ongoing The Hundred, Baker has four wickets in four games at an average of just over 23 for Manchester Originals. England have announced their squads for the limited-overs series against South Africa and Ireland. With the red-ball leg of the home summer behind them, England will next feature in three ODIs and as many T20Is against the Proteas starting September 2 in Headingley. The home series will be followed by a three-match contest against Ireland in Malahide from September 17. Harry Brook, who was appointed England's white-ball captain after the ICC Champions Trophy earlier this year, will continue to lead in the home series against South Africa. Meanwhile, Jacob Bethell has been named skipper for the tour of Ireland, with Brook rested for the three-match T20I series. England squads:For South Africa ODIs: Harry Brook (c), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Sonny Baker, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jamie Smith For South Africa T20Is: Harry Brook (c), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Jamie Smith, Luke Wood For Ireland T20Is: Jacob Bethell (c), Rehan Ahmed, Sonny Baker, Tom Banton, Jos Buttler, Liam Dawson, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Luke Wood. (ANI)
Hindustan Times
41 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Gautam Gambhir puts 'one-dimensional' India star on chopping block for Asia Cup: 'He isn't required as much'
The upcoming Asia Cup squad announcement on Tuesday promises to test the nerves of Ajit Agarkar's selection panel, with several difficult calls expected. While Shubman Gill's inclusion and role continue to dominate discussions, the fate of Rinku Singh in the 15-member squad has also sparked some debate. Team India players celebrating their last T20I series win against England earlier this year(Files) Rinku became a household name during the 2022 edition of the league with his unforgettable five consecutive sixes off Yash Dayal for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, earning him the tag of a designated finisher. Yet, recent seasons have hinted at a diminishing role. Limited opportunities in IPL 2024, where he faced only 113 balls, followed by 134 balls in 2025, have raised questions about his spot. Even in 2024, under Gautam Gambhir's mentorship at KKR, the Aligarh southpaw's utilisation suggested a restricted role within the team's plans. Such dynamics make it difficult to treat Rinku as an automatic pick for the Asia Cup or, eventually, the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka next year. 'If all are fit and available, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (batter-keeper), Tilak Varma, skipper Surya Kumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya are automatic selections in top-five,' a former national selector told PTI. The prospective return of Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal, both with strong IPL records, adds further complexity. 'We often hear people saying, one should pick so and so, but no one would be able to definitively tell us 'in place of whom'? Shreyas Iyer has 600 runs at a strike-rate of 180 but he bats in top four. Where is the place for him? Even as you include Shubman as he is flavour of the season, where do you cut corners,' the selector added. He continued, 'You can't disturb your top five right now and also pick Shubman. And if you pick Shubman now, obviously the Test captain and IPL team captain won't sit out. So where do you make the compromise? I only see Rinku's spot being iffy as he isn't required as much some of the top order batters. And mind it, we aren't even talking about Jaiswal.' Squad announcement on August 19 The Asia Cup squad will be announced on Tuesday, with the tournament marking India's return to competitive action for the first time since the Test series against England. It remains to be seen whether Test captain Shubman Gill, who has enjoyed prolific outings as Gujarat Titans captain throughout 2024 and 2025 seasons, will get a nod. For now, Gambhir's approach has suggested that one-dimensional middle and lower-order players have limited utility, putting a spotlight squarely on Rinku Singh's Asia Cup fate.
Indian Express
41 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Sanju Samson sparkles in KCA exhibition match amid IPL trade talks, smashes fifty in Secretary XI's win
Amid growing reports and chatter around his IPL trade/transfer from the Rajasthan Royals, India wicket-keeper Sanju Samson returned to competitive action through an exhibition match held at the Greenfield Cricket Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. The Kerala Cricket Association hosted the friendly T20 match comprising the top stars from the state on Independence Day after the inauguration of the revamped floodlight system at the venue. Samson was named captain of the KCA Secretary XI, while veteran Sachin Baby led the KCA President's side. Samson eventually fell on 54 off 36 balls with three runs required in as many deliveries. However, the Secretary's XI squeezed past Baby's men by one wicket, thanks to pacer Basil Thampi's winning first-ball six. Samson had not featured in a match under the aegis of the Kerala Cricket Association following the controversies that had emerged last December when the 30-year-old was dropped from the Vijay Hazare Trophy after failing to turn up for a preparatory camp. While Samson was in contention to return for the Ranji Trophy knockout fixtures in February, the explosive right-hander was ruled out after a fracture he sustained in a T20I against England. The Indian Express had previously reported that Samson had expressed his desire to part ways with the Rajasthan Royals franchise. Reports have since emerged with Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders marked as firm favourites to sign him up. With reports suggesting that the Thiruvananthapuram venue could replace Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium as one of the hosting venues for the forthcoming Women's ODI World Cup, the Greenfield Stadium received a massive upgrade comprising four towers and 392 LED lights on Friday. KCA secretary Vinod S Kumar said that the project was completed at Rs 18 crore rupees. KCA Exhibition Match Brief Scorecard President's XI 184/8 in 20 overs (Rohan Kunnumal 60, Abhijith Praveen 47; Sharafudden 3/25) lost to Secretary's XI 188/9 in 19.4 overs (Vishnu Vinod 69, Sanju Samson 54) by one wicket.
