A man begins to count down: “30, 29, 28… You’ve got until zero to get your selfies and after that it’s finished.”
Adil Rashid has just spent over an hour greeting jubilant supporters at Masjid Umar, his local mosque in his home city of Bradford, and is scrambling towards the exit. “Sorry about this,” he says as I attempt to keep up.
A few more excited children and adults sneak in a picture with their neighbourhood hero and he continues to apologise each time he is stopped. He suggests we head for his car, parked outside – the only peaceful place we’ll find for a chat.
As we get in and the doors are locked, he puffs out his cheeks and widens his eyes. It has been a whirlwind few days since England’s victory in the Cricket World Cup, and Rashid’s part in it.
After lifting the trophy at Lord’s following an incredible final on 14 July, he was mobbed by a raucous crowd, external on his homecoming, before meeting the prime minister with his team-mates at Downing Street a day later.
“I’m still on a high,” Rashid says. “It’s a good feeling to see everyone here, especially the kids. They’re seeing someone from this area who has made something for themselves and achieved something massive.
“There is hope there for them. He has done it and so can we. If I can be an inspiration to the youngsters – or anyone for that matter – then I have done my job.”
A celebratory event is being held at the mosque where Rashid prays and he points out that just a few yards up the street is where he first started playing cricket at the age of eight.
There are about 400 people there and, like England’s celebrations at The Oval the day after victory over New Zealand – when kids were given the opportunity to touch the trophy and get close to the players – the 100 or so children present are again ushered up to the front row.
Imam Sajid congratulates Rashid on his achievements and tells the captivated crowd to “aspire to be the best” in whatever field they choose. He gets a good laugh when he jokes: “We were all supporting England…as soon as Pakistan were knocked out.”
But it was not Rashid’s 11 wickets, including three in the semi-final win over Australia, or the 45 runs he scored in his five innings that the imam eulogised over. Instead, it was the “sacrifice he made for his country” in attempting a second run from the penultimate ball in the final, which allowed Ben Stokes to get back on strike.
Rashid was run out without facing a delivery. Stokes managed a single off the final ball of the innings to tie the match. Then came THAT super over. The imam adds: “Don’t forget your identity. First and foremost, we are Muslims – but we are born here and should serve our country.”
The leg-spinner fields a few medium-paced questions from the children. What would you be if you were not a cricketer? “A teacher to help the kids in the community.” Who’s better, you or Stokes? “He’s probably better, he’s a world-class player.”
As with all Muslim functions, such as weddings, presentation ceremonies or talks like this, a few Islamic verses are read and Rashid’s nephew, Haseeb, recites from the chapter of Yasin, seen as the heart of the Qur’an. It was through a chance meeting with a future colleague eight years ago that Rashid’s own heart changed for the better and helped turn him into the person he is today.