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Following 16 years since his debut, the veteran spinner could be forgiven for tiring of the international cricket treadmill. Currently in New Zealand for his 35th T20 international competition, he describes that busy, routine existence as he mentions the squad-uniting short trip in Queenstown that launched England’s winter tour: “Occasionally, such chances are rare when constantly traveling,” he states. “Touch down, drill, perform, and journey.”

Yet his enthusiasm is clear, not only when he talks about the immediate future of a squad that looks to be blooming under Harry Brook and his individual spot on it, plus when seeing Rashid drill, perform, or spin. Yet while he succeeded in curbing New Zealand’s charge as they tried to pursue England’s historic 236 at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval on Monday night, with his four dismissals covering four of their leading five run-getters, he cannot do anything to stop time.

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Rashid reaches 38 years old in February, halfway into the T20 World Cup. Once the following 50-over World Cup is held in late 2027 he will be nearly 40. His close pal and current podcast partner Moeen Ali, merely some months elder, stepped away from global cricket the previous year. But Rashid remains integral: those four dismissals brought his yearly tally to 19, six more than any other Englishman. Only three English bowlers have taken so many T20 international wickets in a calendar year: Swann in 2010, Curran in 2022, and Rashid across 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025. Yet there are no considerations of retirement; his attention stays on defeating rivals, not closing his career.

“Totally, I retain the appetite, the eagerness to compete for England and stand for my country,” Rashid declares. “As an individual, I think that’s the biggest achievement in any sport. I still have that passion there for England. In my opinion, if the enthusiasm diminishes, or something similar, then you reflect: ‘Okay, time to genuinely evaluate it’. Right now, I’ve not considered other options. I possess that passion, with plenty of cricket ahead.

“I want to be part of this team, this squad we’ve got now, 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 don’t know what’s going to happen. Around the corner things can change very quickly. It’s very unpredictable, life and cricket. I always like to stay present – a game at a time, a step at a time – and let things unfold, see where cricket and life takes me.”

In many ways this is no time to be thinking of endings, but more of origins: a novel squad with a different skipper, a different coach and fresh prospects. “We are embarked on that path,” Rashid says. “Several new players are present. Certain individuals have left, others have arrived, and that’s simply part of the rotation. Yet we possess know-how, we have young talent, we’ve got world‑class players, we’ve got Brendon McCullum, who’s a very, very good coach, and each person supports our objectives. Indeed, setbacks will occur on the path, that’s inherent to the sport, but we are surely dedicated and completely prepared, for any coming events.”

The aim to plan that Queenstown excursion, and the appointment of previous All Blacks mindset trainer Gilbert Enoka, implies a specific concentration on developing additional value from this squad apart from a lineup. and Rashid believes this is a particular strength of McCullum’s.

“We perceive ourselves as a unified entity,” he says. “We enjoy a family-like setting, supporting one another irrespective of performance, whether your day is positive or negative. 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 very relaxed, chilled out, but he is attentive regarding coaching, he is diligent in that regard. And he desires to foster that setting. Yes, we are relaxed, we are chilled, but we’re making sure that when we go on that pitch we’re focused and we’re going for it. Significant acknowledgment is due to Baz for building that milieu, and ideally, we can sustain that for an extended period.”