ICC T20 WORLD CUP 2021

October 23, 2021

Adil Rashid

Sheikh Zayed Stadium

England

Post Match Media Conference

England 56/4 (8.2) - West Indies 55)14.2)

Q. Couldn't have asked for a better start.

ADIL RASHID: I don't think we could. I thought we as a bowling group, I thought we bowled exceptionally well. Everything fell into plan. Started off Moeen started off brilliantly there, along with Woakesy with and that Tymal, CJ and myself, we backed up very well. I thought we bowled exceptionally well.

Q. And possibly a few by Eoin, played the match?

ADIL RASHID: Yeah, he showcases his talent then again, bowling the first over and that really set our tone for the rest of the innings. A lot of credit goes to him and a lot of credit for the bowling unit and for backing each other up.

Q. How do you go from this high and keep that level?

ADIL RASHID: You just take it a game at a time. Obviously the next game now is on Tuesday or whatever. So we'll go back in the nets, practice again and take it a game at a time. We don't look too far ahead. Whatever game that is in front of us, we play that.

Q. This part of the world, spin bowling looks like it could be pretty important. You're a big part of that. Does that responsibility fall lightly on your shoulders?

ADIL RASHID: I don't think we look at it like that. I think we look at it as a bowling unit. We know we have got five, six bowlers there, match winners. And on any given day, anybody can come on and get wickets, and like that is shared in every other game as well.

So it's not just about spin. It's definitely a bowling unit and it's not just about any individual for ourselves. It's definitely a bowling unit thing, not just about the spinners or whatever.

Q. The one that got Russell, have you had any more satisfying dismissal than that? And was it a slider rather than a googly? Seemed like it was front of the hand.

ADIL RASHID: Yeah, pitched nicely in the middle and just skidded on. But you know, them kind of things happen, first ball, you land it and it just skids on and gets the batsman out. At the end of the day, all the same, sixes and fours.

Q. Did you expect you'd be playing for an hour?

ADIL RASHID: Definitely, obviously coming into today, we wouldn't have expected that. But like I said, credit goes to our bowling unit, and fielding, exceptionally well. Like I said we couldn't have had anything better, as well.

Q. Could you speak about Moeen's spell and specifically what his plan was?

ADIL RASHID: I think it's fairly simple, obviously bowling the first over, trying to keep it tight. That's the aim. And if wickets come, wickets come, because generally the bats are quite fresh, and they might just have a look.

But like I said, you have to bowl very well and I thought he bowled exceptionally well, especially bowling four overs in a row kept it tight and picked up wickets as well, and so that really set the phone for the team.

Q. It was something like 30 for 4 by the time he finished. Did you feel like you had won the game?

ADIL RASHID: Definitely not. You never win the game until you actually win the game. So we never take our foot off the gas at the last. So we never take our foot off the gas or think we are in good position. We looked to put our foot on the gas and really drive home.

Q. Obviously the team you picked, it had to be four overs between him and Liam as the fifth bowler. I guess it was pretty much perfect to get those bowlers out of the way as soon a possible?

ADIL RASHID: I don't think it was more so getting the overs out of the way. It was -- obviously Morgs is an exceptional captain, so he knows, like right, we want Mo bowling to a lefty.

So it's not more of a thing of just getting the overs. He knows that Mo is a quality bowler, and he definitely can bowl up top and can keep -- the wickets and that was proven today.