Rashid brushes aside Vaughan criticism

London, July 27 - Hot on the heels of former England captain Michael Vaughan labelling Adil Rashid's inclusion in the Test squad as "ridiculous", the leg-spinner brushed aside such talk, saying it's "stupid" and "does not matter".

Despite signing a white-ball-only contract at Yorkshire, Rashid, 30, was named in a 13-man squad for the first Test against India.

"He can say a lot and he thinks people might listen, but I don't think they do," Rashid told BBC Sport. 

"There has been a lot of hoo-ha. I don't see what the big deal is, with people talking about me being retired. I didn't say anything about retirement, which some pundits have said.

"It was not an easy decision, but when your country wants you and asks if you are available, you cannot just say no," he added.

The first match of the five-Test series begins on August 1 at Edgbaston.

Meanwhile, Rashid's teammate Jonny Bairstow backed the spinner and said: "Delighted for Rash! Test cricket is the pinnacle and always remember, right now we are all living our childhood dreams!"

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IANS