Shoaib Bashir- England’s unknown spin gamble for test series against India

England announced their squad for the upcoming tour of India on Monday. Shoaib Bashir is a name that many cricket fans do not recognize. It even took the seasoned English cricket fans by surprise at the inclusion of an unknown 20-year-old.

Advertisment

Ben Stokes and his team will arrive in India to play 5 test matches with the first match on the 25^th of January. It was England which became the last team to beat India in its backyard. Jack Leach will be the leader of the England spin pack along with Tom Hartley and Rehan Ahmed. It is the inclusion of a rank-unknown talent that has left cricket fans surprised and safe to say caught off-guard.

Shoaib Bashir- England’s next spin wizard

20-year-old Shoaib Bashir is set to travel with England during their test tour of India. The youngster has played just 6 first-class games for Somerset. So what is it about this young bowler that has already caught the eye? Bashir is a conventional off-spin bowler with a classical action. His delivery stride reminds us of the old-age spinners who beat batters with their flight and guile.

Advertisment

The youngster relies more on flight and the ability to beat the batters in the air.  Apart from Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, and Virat Kohli, the rest of the Indian batters have struggled against spin. In his short county cricket career, Shoaib Bashir has picked 10 wickets with a best of 3/67. 

The off-spinner made his debut against Essex which included former great Alastair Cook and ended the game with just 1 wicket. The inclusion of the young spinner reflects England’s scouting network and ability to plan for the future.  Barring Jack Leach who is 32-years-old the other spinners are pretty young. Tom Hartley is 24, while Rehan Ahmed is 19 years old and there is a design behind England’s latest gambit. 

During the 2012-13 England tour of India, it was Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar who ran through the Indian batting line-up. Even the great Sachin Tendulkar struggled to score runs against the English spinners. With Rohit Sharma (36), Virat Kohli (35), and Ravindra Jadeja (35) there is a potential weakness spotted. Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum must have spotted that the trio of Indian veteran's reflexes could be tested against the more hungry and young spinners.

Advertisment

Team India will start as the favourites during the five-match- test series in January. Without Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, the Indian middle order could struggle in a crunch situation against spin. 

This is where the underlying message comes from the England camp, ‘we are here to beat you in your own game’. Shoaib Bashir might be inexperienced but he is already being labelled as the next great spin hope. As the sojourn to India beckons, there is a good chance Shoaib Bashir could very well herald the next generation of English bowling hope.