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England have planned for the disaster of Adil Rashid getting injured at the World Cup… the plan is to lose

2 minute readWe read this week that Brendon McCullum has been disaster planning for next winter’s World Cup. This does not mean planning the exact way in which it will be a disaster – something England coaches often seem to…

By King Cricket · King Cricket

Published: Tuesday, 27 October 2026 at 11:22 AM

Key Things to Know

King Cricket argues England cannot effectively replace Adil Rashid at the World Cup and will simply lose if he is injured.
The writer notes England recently suffered close defeats against Sri Lanka and Pakistan while playing without Rashid in the side.
The piece contends that Rashid's presence has been the primary driver of England's positive ODI win record since 2015.

The Story in 60 Seconds

King Cricket argues that England coach Brendon McCullum's contingency planning for worst-case scenarios at the upcoming World Cup highlights that spinner Adil Rashid is completely irreplaceable. The writer contends that if Rashid suffers an injury, England's de facto outcome will simply be losing matches they would otherwise win.

To support this assertion, the author points to recent losses where Rashid was absent, including failing to defend 430 against Sri Lanka and losing to Pakistan from 154-9. The writer claims Rashid has been the foundational key to England's one-day success since 2015, outranking even Jos Buttler in terms of indispensability.

Read the full article on King Cricket