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After 16 years since his debut, Adil Rashid could be forgiven for growing weary of the international cricket treadmill. Currently in New Zealand for his 35th international T20 series or tournament, he outlines that frantic, repetitive schedule while discussing the team-bonding mini‑break in Queenstown that launched England’s winter tour: “Sometimes you don’t get that opportunity when you’re always on tour,” he says. “You land, you train, you play and you travel.”

However, his passion is obvious, not only when he talks about the immediate future of a team that appears to be thriving guided by Harry Brook and his individual spot on it, plus when seeing Rashid drill, perform, or spin. Although he managed to halt New Zealand’s progress as they tried to pursue England’s historic 236 at the Hagley Oval ground in Christchurch on Monday night, when his four‑wicket haul included all but one of their five highest scorers, there is nothing he can do to halt time.

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Rashid reaches 38 years old in February, midway through the T20 World Cup. When the next ODI World Cup occurs near the end of 2027 he will be nearly 40. His close pal and current podcast partner Moeen Ali, only a few months older than him, retired from international cricket last year. But Rashid remains integral: those four dismissals brought his yearly tally to 19, six more than any other Englishman. Merely three English cricketers have achieved such T20 international wickets in a single year: Graeme Swann in 2010, Sam Curran in 2022, plus Rashid in 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025. But there are still no thoughts of the end; his focus remains on bringing down opponents, not curtains.

“Absolutely, I maintain the desire, the craving to feature for England and symbolize my nation,” Rashid says. “Personally, I believe that’s the top accomplishment in any athletic field. I continue to hold that zeal for England. I feel that once the passion fades, or whatever occurs, then you reflect: ‘Okay, time to genuinely evaluate it’. Currently, I haven’t contemplated anything different. I possess that passion, with plenty of cricket ahead.

“I desire to join this team, this group we have currently, on the next journey we have, which hopefully will be nice and I want to be part of it. Hopefully we can experience some wins and win World Cups, all the good stuff. And I await hopefully joining that expedition.

“We are unaware of what will occur. Just ahead, situations can shift rapidly. Life and the sport are immensely volatile. I aim to keep focused on the now – each game separately, each phase gradually – and allow events to develop, observe where cricket and existence lead me.”

In many ways this is no time to be thinking of endings, but rather of beginnings: a novel squad with a different skipper, a different coach and fresh prospects. “We have begun that voyage,” Rashid notes. “There are a few new faces. Some have gone out, some have come in, and that’s just part of the cycle. But we’ve got experience, we’ve got youth, we include elite performers, we have Brendon McCullum, an excellent coach, and everybody’s buying in to what we’re trying to achieve. Yes, there’s going to be hiccups along the way, that’s typical in cricket, but we are undoubtedly concentrated and fully attentive, for whatever lies ahead.”

The desire to schedule that Queenstown trip, and the recruitment of the former All Blacks mental skills coach Gilbert Enoka, suggests there is a particular focus on creating something more from this group of players than just an XI. and Rashid thinks this is a unique talent of McCullum’s.

“We perceive ourselves as a unified entity,” he says. “We enjoy a family-like setting, supporting one another irrespective of performance, you have a good day or a bad day. We attempt to ensure we adhere to our principles thus. Let’s ensure we remain united, that cohesion we share, that camaraderie.

“It’s a nice thing to have, everybody’s got each other’s backs and that’s the environment that Baz and we are trying to create, and we have built. And hopefully we can, regardless of whether we have a good day or a bad day.

“Baz is quite calm, easygoing, but he’s on the ball in terms of coaching, he is diligent in that regard. And he desires to foster that setting. Certainly, we are at ease, we are cool, but we ensure that once we enter the field we are concentrated and we are competing fully. Much praise belongs to Baz for forming that atmosphere, and ideally, we can sustain that for an extended period.”