Adil Rashid yesterday hailed 2008 as his best year as a professional cricketer, culminating in his inclusion in England’s Test squad to tour the Caribbean next month.

Rashid, 20, was understandably thrilled to see his name inked alongside the likes of Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff and the other two spinners Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann.

The former Bradford and Bingley leg-spinner, who has 140 wickets from 43 first-class matches in his career, claimed 62 of them in the County Championship at an average of 30.41 last summer.

He also chipped in with 516 Championship runs at an average of 23.45, notching a vital 111 against Sussex in the final game of the season to help Yorkshire secure their LV Division One future.

“I think it is definitely fair comment to say that last summer was the best of my career so far,” said Rashid, who won his county cap in September.

“I gained so much confidence from it and I now feel as if I am ready to step up to international cricket.”

It is difficult to know exactly how worthwhile his trip to India before Christmas was, with the England management taking him along for experience, although Rashid described it as “most useful”.

But at least he will have a better idea of what he will have to do to topple Panesar and/or Swann to gain his Test debut against a weak West Indies side.

“They are still the two main spinners on the trip and it is going to be a tough task to get in ahead of them because they are very good bowlers. But I am confident in my own ability,” said Rashid, who grew up in Heaton.

While he realises there is plenty to concentrate on before next July – the potential of two series against the West Indies – Rashid also knows that he is now closer to his dream of facing Australia in an Ashes series.

The former Belle Vue Boys School pupil said: “It is everybody’s dream to play against Australia and the Ashes is next year. Hopefully if I perform well I will get a chance.”

Rashid is the only Yorkshire player in the Test squad and there is no White Rose presence in England’s one-day selection. Tim Bresnan is not in the England Lions squad to tour New Zealand in February.

Whether his reluctance to travel to India with the Performance Programme squad before Christ-mas due to fatigue after the Hong Kong Sixes has played a part in that decision remains to be seen.