Rookie Somerset off-spinner Shoaib Bashir’s ‘world-class’ potential has seen him called up for England’s Test tour of India in the new year.
Bashir, 20, has just 10 first-class wickets with an average of 67 in his six-match career but is one of three uncapped players in the squad, alongside Lancashire left-arm spinner Tom Hartley and Surrey fast Gus Atkinson in the squad of 16 for the five-Test tour.
Ben Foakes has been recalled to the squad but according to general manager Rob Key, no decision has yet been made on whether the Surrey man or Jonny Bairstow will keep the wicket. Vice-captain Ollie Pope and first-choice spinner Jack Leach return from long-term injuries.
Ben Stokes has been selected to lead the side and is expected to be fit after recently undergoing surgery on his chronic left knee injury. Key confirmed that Stokes was not expected to bowl in India.
Bashir and Hartley will join Leach and Rehan Ahmed in a four-man spin arsenal, while Joe Root will offer a part-time option. Bashir and Hartley, who is 24 and has played two ODIs, are both long spinners, perhaps reflecting England’s desire to copy the new-ball spin that Axar Patel used against them on their last visit to India in 2021. ask for two modest records (Hartley’s first-class average is 36.6, but he is a handy batsman at No. 8). Both men were at the England Lions training camp in the UAE this month.
‘Bashir’s ceiling is really high’
About Bashir, Key said: “I saw him last summer. We have this depth app and every now and then you catch a glimpse of a few orbs, and you see that there’s something different in there, or something that looks special. We saw him in county cricket, the way he bowled the ball, and then you see the potential, and then you try to figure out his character. Then we had him at the Lions. Me and Brendon [McCullum] flew to that lion camp for a week and a while and we tried to put them in conditions similar to what we will see.
“Someone like Bashir – his ceiling is very high. Life is always about how good someone’s good is, not how bad their bad is. He’s very raw, he goes for experience as much as anything else, although we won’t be afraid to play him if necessary. This is the beginning of his journey, where we will hopefully see a world-class spinner in the future.
“He has one of the higher release points in the game, he just looks – everything you see in a classic off-spinner, a bit of real craftsmanship, a bit of real guile and a decent character too.
“He is someone who spins the ball, with a high release point. When we saw him in the UAE, he could bowl slower with a quick arm at a young age, he has good craftsmanship and I think it’s really exciting. And you try to do things differently than what we’ve done before. I think since the uncovered pitches we’ve probably had one world-class spinner and that’s probably Graeme Swann.
“That’s probably what we’re trying to do with the Lions, you try to give these guys different experience and that’s what playing in England for whatever reason we can’t do, because of all that, so we’re hoping we can get him towards someone who can eventually become world class, he certainly has the potential.”
‘Hartley will be a handful’
Bashir and Hartley are selected in place of experienced Hampshire all-rounder Liam Dawson and Surrey’s all-formatter Will Jacks, who will both instead play in the South African SA20 short-form competition. Liam Livingstone is also not selected after making his Test debut as an all-rounder a year ago, while Moeen Ali retired at the end of the Ashes.
Key confirmed that neither Jacks nor Dawson had made themselves unavailable for the series, but said the style of bowling and the desire of both to play cricket and not carry drinks contributed.
“Will Jacks – you make a decision, is it better for them to carry drinks around India or can they start playing franchise cricket if there is a World T20 coming up?” said Key.
“Liam Dawson is probably not someone who wants to go through India as the 15th or 16th man – if he’s going to play and if he’s going to perform then he’s going to want to do that, but if he’s not then I don’t think it is. high on his agenda to essentially play as a stand-in bowler.
“We also think about the style of bowling of someone like Hartley. Our guess is that he will be a handful and then you obviously have Jack Leach leading the attack with the ball.
“We have been trying for some time to earmark the spinners that we think will be most useful in India. Someone like Tom Hartley, for example. We’ve been watching him for a while, he’s been with the Lions for a few years. These are not conditions you encounter in England at all.
“You almost have to ignore what’s happened in county cricket because it’s a very different style of bowling and trying to work out who the best players are going to be for what we’re facing.”
There are four players in the squad, with James Anderson, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood and Atkinson – who made both debuts in both white-ball formats this year – all selected. Josh Tongue was ruled out due to a chest injury. There will also be an England Lions tour in January, with the likes of Brydon Carse able to force their way into Test contention.
Chris Woakes is not selected despite being England’s Ashes man of the series, and his poor record abroad weighs against him. Instead, he will play T20 in the UAE on the ILT20.
I know what it’s like to make your debut as a spinner in India
Shoaib Bashir is an exciting prospect and the England selectors deserve credit for recognizing his talent so early.
With just six first-class games to his name, Bashir could be the most bazball squad yet. He is tall for a spin bowler like me, which will help him generate more bounce from a fuller length than others would. Bashir also gets a good loop on the ball, meaning he can get it above the batsman’s eyeline and get back down in time for him to land and turn as he pulls it onto the front foot.
With a 16-man squad, there is a good chance that the 20-year-old will play somewhere in the series and he should not get dejected as the aggressive Indian batsmen come after him. They will mainly try to target him on the ground, but there is no shame in conceding a six or two, especially against masterful spin players like Virat Kohli.
Bashir’s off-spin could well be combined with his Somerset teammate Jack Leach, which would give Ben Stokes the option of a frontline spinner who spins both ways. The pitches throughout the series will suit Bashir well even if he is not used in the opener in Hyderabad.
The atmosphere that will greet him is a far cry from what he will be used to in Taunton. Bashir will be immediately loved by Indian fans who want selfies and autographs from him.
I know how he will feel. I made my Test debut in Nagpur in 2006 when Andrew Flintoff selected me. It was for the first test in the series and I wrote down the field settings I wanted on a piece of paper and gave it to Flintoff as I was worried about the crowd noise I would have to deal with and I didn’t want to seem nervous .
If he plays at any point during the series, it would be good preparation for him to take some notes about the Indian batsmen as this will help him stick to a plan and not get overawed.
On debut, I managed to dismiss Sachin Tendulkar as my first wicket. Perhaps Bashir could replicate that wicket caliber by getting Kohli or Rohit Sharma?
Bashir has the talent and is instinctively a brave bowler. If he can stick to his guns, you never know – a new icon of English cricket could be born.