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LONDON: Adil Rashid on Sunday became just the 14th player and first Englishman in 13 years to complete a Test match without bowling, batting, taking a catch or effecting a run out.
Rashid, who made £12,500 ($15,960, 13,977 euros) for his walk on role, was not called upon to weave his leg-spin magic in England´s innings and 159-run win over India in the second Test at Lord´s.
With the overcast conditions in both of India´s innings ideal for swing bowling, Rashid was almost as much of a spectator as any member of the crowd at ´the home of cricket´ as the tourists were dismissed for 107 and 130, with James Anderson, England´s all-time leading Test wicket-taker, returning match figures of nine for 43.
And when England batted, Rashid was still waiting as next man in when skipper Joe Root declared the home side´s lone innings on 396 for seven.
With Rashid not a member of England´s slip cordon, chances were unlikely to come his way either during his 12th Test.
Rashid´s ´achievement´ was far from unique in the 141-year history of Test cricket, with 13 previous instances of players having equally quiet games.
The last time it happened to an England cricketer was when off-spinner Gareth Batty was not called upon in an innings and 261-run hammering of Bangladesh at Lord´s in 2005.
The irony was that Ed Smith, England´s new national selector, found himself involved in a huge row with Yorkshire, the bowler´s county, when he recalled Rashid to the Test squad ahead of the series opener at Edgbaston.
Yorkshire were furious because Rashid, 30, had signed a white-ball only county contract that meant he was only available to play limited-overs matches for them.
Rashid at least made scores of 13 and 16 at Edgbaston, while taking three for 40 in a match that England won by 31 runs.
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