Wednesday 1 July 2015 15:31, UK
England head coach Trevor Bayliss admits he knows little about Adil Rashid after the Yorkshire spinner was named in the Investec Ashes squad for the first Test with Australia in Cardiff.
Australian Bayliss was named as the replacement for previous coach Peter Moores on May 26 and has recently returned from a training camp in Spain to help him get to know some of the players involved with the national squad.
Rashid, uncapped at Test level, is regarded as a 'mystery spinner', particularly to Bayliss, who only knows him having seen him in the recent ODI series win over New Zealand.
"We want to give ourselves the option to play two spinners if we get down there (to Cardiff) and the conditions suit two spinners," he told Sky Sports News HQ.
"To be quite honest, I don't really know him. I obviously watched a lot of the one-day series on TV and he played very well.
"He can spin the ball both ways and that is a good option to have."
Steven Finn has also returned to the squad as cover for the pace attack that featured in the drawn Test series with the Kiwis earlier in the summer.
Finn's last Test came against Australia in 2013, with the Middlesex player returning match figures of 2-117 as England won the first match of the series at Trent Bridge by 14 runs.
"During the one-day series, he looked like he was back on song," Bayliss said of Finn.
"He is bowling well and will be there as a back-up to the guys that have come off the good (Test) series against New Zealand.
"Just in case something happens to one of those guys, we have someone there ready to go."
As for England's chances of reclaiming the Ashes having lost 5-0 to their old rivals last time out, Bayliss believes confidence is high in the camp.
But he insists he can add little to their knowledge of their opponents, despite having only recently arrived in the UK from Australia.
"The guys are upbeat and sound very confident. In that type of an environment, good things can happen," he added.
"All the indications are that they are on song and looking forward to it very much.
"England have a lot of players who have played against the Australian guys, so I am not sure I can add too much more to what they know about the opposition.
"They know what to expect, everything will be done out in the middle and may the best team win."
Watch the first Ashes Test between England and Australia, which gets underway on July 8. Coverage begins on the Sky Sports Ashes channel at 10am.
