Adil Rashid will miss England’s white-ball series against India and the latter stages of Yorkshire’s T20 Blast campaign in order to make the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
Rashid is a practicing Muslim and decided earlier this year that he had reached the right time in his life to make the pilgrimage, and has been granted leave by the ECB and Yorkshire. He flies to the Middle East on Saturday and is expected to return in mid-July, ahead of England’s white-ball series against South Africa.
All adult Muslims are expected to undertake the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime, if they are physically capable and have the financial means to do so.
