Rashid wins top award

7 September 2007

Adil Rashid

Yorkshire’s teenage leg-spinner Adil Rashid was on Friday night named the Cricket Writers’ Club 2007 Young Cricketer of the Year.

England Lion Rashid follows a stellar list of previous winners in the award’s 57-year history, won last year by emerging fast bowler Stuart Broad and in 2005 by now-established Test batsman Alastair Cook.

Nineteen-year-old Rashid, tipped by many to have a chance of joining England as a second spinner on their Test tour of Sri Lanka later this year, saw off strong competition from the likes of Essex all-rounder Ravi Bopara and Kent batsman Joe Denly.

Rashid has already taken 66 first-class wickets and made approaching 1,000 runs since his debut last year.

He has 40 wickets in the LV County Championship this summer to be Yorkshire’s most successful bowler - although it is his batting which has perhaps improved most, with 776 runs at an average of 48.50.

Previous winners of the young player’s award have so far amassed 1,912 Test caps between them, with only nine not playing any Test cricket for England.