Shoaib Bashir: England spinner joins the greats with rare Test spin five-wicket haul at Trent Bridge
A five-wicket haul for Shoaib Bashir at Trent Bridge helped England clinch the second Test by 241 runs and seal a series victory against the West Indies; watch the third Test at Edgbaston live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10am on Friday July 26 (first ball 11am)
Monday 22 July 2024 15:27, UK
Trent Bridge has rarely offered much for spin bowlers. Indeed, up to last week, it had been 18 years since Muttiah Muralitharan, a player who could turn the ball on glass, and Monty Panesar had taken five-wicket hauls on the ground in the same Test match.
To underline that further, of the 15 players who have taken multiple five-fors in Tests in Nottingham, only one of those is an exponent of the slow-bowling art in Australian great Clarrie Grimmett - and even then, you have to go back to the Ashes tours of 1930 and 1934.
So, for Shoaib Bashir to join that exclusive club with his match-winning 5-41 as England beat West Indies by 241 runs on Sunday evening is some achievement. To do it in only his fifth Test and at the tender age of 20 only adds to that, and it is no surprise captain Ben Stokes was singing his praises for mastering his craft in less than optimum conditions.
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"That wicket offered hardly anything to the spinners throughout the Test match and, to be honest, I didn't think it did on day four," Stokes said.
"What he was able to do, and also in the first innings, was be so aggressive and his intent was to look to take wickets and never just hold an end up. The way in which he could change his pace, overspin, underspin, I think he showed his full bag of tricks.
"He's got so much time, his ceiling is so, so high, and he's got an unbelievable desire and will to get better and learn.
"He works hard with [England spin-bowling coach Jeetan Patel] every single day he comes in and trains, and it's really good for a young guy to come out there and put in a performance which wins England a Test match."
The fact Bashir has gone from being a surprise call-up for January and February's tour of India to becoming his country's first-choice spinner is even more mind-boggling when you consider England's former No 1 slow option, Jack Leach, is ahead of him in the pecking order at Somerset.
That led to Bashir going out on loan to Worcestershire to get some red-ball county cricket under his belt ahead of the three-match series against West Indies, and even then he did not get to bowl in England's innings and 114-run win at Lord's due to the dominance of the seam bowlers, but it is a situation he has taken in his stride.
"A lot has happened in the last few years," Bashir told Sky Sports. "I can't get ahead of Leachy at Somerset and understandably because he's played a lot more cricket than I have.
"There are a lot of things happening, but I just take things slowly.
"I'm not trying to think about it too much, I'm just trying to focus on England stuff at the moment and I'm sure I'll get round to that."
That level-headed temperament has undoubtedly helped Bashir overcome greater setbacks. The Chertsey-born right-armer was released by Surrey at 17 and as recently as two years ago was playing for National Counties Cricket Association side Berkshire's U18s, having not featured for England at any age-group level.
Yet Somerset recognised his potential, signing him to a one-year contract, and after impressing for their second XI he began his rapid ascent to the senior side last year followed by selection for the England Lions squad then a place on the full Test team's tour of India.
His first-class career record of 10 wickets at an average of 67 up to that point was belied by five-wicket hauls in Ranchi and Dharamsala, cementing his place in the England team, and Stokes has made it a priority to keep in contact with Bashir since that tour.
"I guess everyone would look at it and sort of go it's been a really strange couple of months for him since India," Stokes said.
"When you're going out on loan just to feel like you're getting a game and bowling some overs, that's where communication becomes a very important part of being a leader.
"I picked up the phone to him, we had a good 20-25-minute chat around everything and he's such a confident lad. He backs his ability and just couldn't wait to get started this summer.
"The performance he put in this week and to do what he did on day four in particular, a lot of spinners - experienced or inexperienced - would be happy with the way he bowled."
Bashir's story is, in some ways, comparable to that of Douglas Carr, another surprise spin call-up in his first year in first-class cricket who went on to take debut match figures of 7-282 against the Australia in the drawn final Test of the 1909 Ashes series.
Unlike Carr, though, who was 37 and did not play another Test, Bashir has firmly established himself already, and fellow off-spinner Moeen Ali is in no doubt he has the attributes to cope with the rigours of the international game at home and abroad.
"He can have a long career," Ali told Sky Sports. "Of course, there are going to be some challenging days, but he's got all the attributes.
"For someone at that age, for an English spinner, to have the control he's got is really, really pleasing to see. Since [Graeme] Swann, we've probably lacked proper spinners.
"I know Jack Leach was doing really well and unfortunately he's had a few injuries, but it's great to see and I think they're looking at the future for the Ashes and someone who can bowl in Australia.
"He's tall, he has good shape, and I'm really glad we've found somebody who can bowl really well."
England's Test series vs West Indies
- 1st Test - Lord's: England won by an innings and 114 runs
- 2nd Test: Trent Bridge: England won by 241 runs
- 3rd Test: July 26-30, Edgbaston, Birmingham
Watch the first day of the third Test between England and West Indies, from Edgbaston, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10am on Friday July 26 (first ball to be bowled at 11am).
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