ADIL Rashid has not given up hope of an Ashes call-up – despite admitting it is "unlikely".

The Yorkshire leg-spinner has been leapfrogged in the pecking order by Mason Crane, with the Hampshire player now likely to tour Australia as second spinner to first-choice pick Moeen Ali.

Rashid has not played a Test since before Christmas in India, with him sometimes also left out of England's limited-overs teams this summer.

He missed the Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh in June and later the three-match T20 series against South Africa.

Rashid has signed up to play in South Africa's new Global T20 League competition for Cape Town Knight Riders in November and December, something which clashes with the first three Ashes Tests.

Yet the 29-year-old Bradfordian insists it is not a sign that he has ruled out a maiden Ashes tour.

"It's nice to get picked up by a franchise for another T20 comp and I'm looking forward to it," said Rashid.

"It's a nice part of the world, Cape Town. But that's still a long way away. There's a lot of cricket to play before then.

"My thinking is still the Ashes. If that doesn't happen, I've got a back-up. My aim is to get back in, of course.

"But I'm in the one-day and T20 squad for the West Indies series, which is coming up, and that's why it will be quite difficult for me.

"I've played my last Championship match of the season for Yorkshire, so we'll see what happens."

Rashid took 15 wickets in 12 NatWest T20 Blast matches for Yorkshire this season and has taken 162 from 142 career appearances for all teams.

"I'm happy with the way things are going for me in T20 and hopefully I'll continue to develop by playing with different players in a different part of the world," he said.

"I'm getting a bit older as well, which means you learn from experience."

On the prospect of playing in the new eight-team South African competition, running between November 3 and December 16, Rashid added: "It looks like a very good tournament with the players involved, the likes of Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Brendon McCullum.

"From England, you've got Kevin Pietersen, Jason Roy, Alex Hales and Eoin Morgan."

The winter before last, Rashid starred for Adelaide Strikers in Australia's Big Bash alongside Jason Gillespie. That competition starts on December 19, opening up the prospect of a return.

The Yorkshire spinner said: "Maybe, that could happen. I don't know yet. We'll see what happens elsewhere."