Adil Rashid returns to England Test squad despite “white-ball only” contract with Yorkshire

Rashid has not played any red-ball cricket since signing a limited-overs contract with Yorkshire back in February. It is for the second consecutive time this summer that new national selector Ed Smith decided to go with his gut and white ball form while selecting the Test team, having successfully recalled Jos Buttler for the Pakistan series in May. Smith’s call might have been influenced by India's selectors, who have included Kuldeep Yadav in the Test team on the basis of his performances in the limited-overs campaign. 

"Before the selection meeting, Adil had confirmed his availability to play Test cricket for England for the whole of this summer and the upcoming winter tours to Sri Lanka and West Indies. Adil fully understands that if he wishes to be eligible for Test cricket in the 2019 season, he must have a county contract to play four-day cricket. Moving forward, England Test players must be committed to the county championship," Smith was quoted as saying by Cricinfo.

On the other hand, Jamie Porter’s impressive performances for Essex in last year’s County Cricket and this year’s ODI Championship has earned him a call-up to the Test squad for the first time in his career. Porter has made a name for himself for his ability to move the ball both ways while also extracting bounce with equal ease, which was the cornerstone of Essex’s championship run last year.