Cricket

Shoaib Bashir, the young English off-spinner, has had a whirlwind few months since making his Test debut for England in India earlier this year. After taking 17 wickets in his first three Tests, Bashir is now set to make his debut for Somerset in the County Championship.Bashir's journey to the international stage has been a remarkable one. He was released by Surrey as a teenager, but after working hard to improve his skills, he was picked up by Somerset. He made his Test debut in the second Test against India in Visakhapatnam, and took 17 wickets in his first three matches."It's been such a surreal couple of months," Bashir said. "I got picked up from pretty much nowhere -- Somerset came to me out of the blue and so has England as well. I'm just so grateful for the opportunity."Bashir's entry into India was delayed due to visa issues, but he eventually joined the team in the middle of the first Test at Hyderabad. He made his debut in Visakhapatnam, and took 4 wickets in the match."It was quite special," Bashir said. "I remember walking out there and I was shaking -- I was like, 'I'm walking out with Ben Stokes, Joe Root here, this is the experience'."Bashir is now keen to ace the challenge of bowling in England after doing well in India. "I'm still young, I'm still learning the game," he said. "I'm quite excited for what's to come. I know bowling in County Championship conditions in this rain is part of the experience as well. I'm still trying to develop my skills."Bashir is fine with moving to another side on loan to get game time for his development as a young spin bowler. "It's not easy being a young kid and then getting told you're not quite good enough to make it," he said. "Getting up from that and knowing if you want something that bad you want to put in work for it, that's sort of what I did. I really made an effort to improve myself as a cricketer and tried to prove a point."

Nathan Lyon, Australia's premier off-spinner, has expressed admiration for the performances of England's inexperienced spinners in India, despite their 4-1 series defeat. Lyon, who will join forces with one of those spinners, Tom Hartley, at Lancashire for the upcoming county season, believes that Hartley, Shoaib Bashir, and Rehan Ahmed have shown great promise.Hartley, who played in all five Tests, impressed with 22 wickets at an average of 36.13, including a stunning 7 for 62 on debut in Hyderabad. Bashir, who arrived late due to visa issues, claimed 17 wickets at 33.35, including a maiden five-wicket haul in Dharamsala.Lyon, who closely followed the India-England series, praised the trio's resilience in facing a formidable Indian batting lineup. He believes that Bashir, in particular, has the potential to be successful in Australia due to his ability to spin the ball over the back."All three of them stood out for me," Lyon said. "They had a tough introduction to Test cricket, but they showed great character. I'm looking forward to playing with Tom and learning from his experiences as a left-arm orthodox spinner."Lyon also acknowledged the upcoming Ashes series in Australia in 2025-26, where England will aim to win down under for the first time since 2010-11. While there is speculation about potential retirements in the Australian team, Lyon believes that the current group can continue playing for several more years."We're definitely getting closer to the end, but we're still doing the hard work and preparing well," Lyon said. "There's no reason why we can't keep playing for three to four or five years. The skill is always going to be there, and Pat Cummins understands the importance of managing our bowlers."

England spinner Shoaib Bashir became the subject of amusement during the fifth Test against India on Saturday, when he mistakenly requested a DRS review after being bowled. During the 46th over of England's second innings, Ravindra Jadeja's delivery clipped Bashir's off-stump, but the spinner, assuming he had been caught behind, opted for the DRS.Bashir's comical gesture drew laughter from fans and former England spinner Graeme Swann, while his non-striker, Joe Root, couldn't help but smile. The incident came after Bashir had been criticized for his fiery send-offs during the match.Earlier in the day, Bashir had claimed his second five-wicket haul of the series, helping to dismiss India for 477. However, India's Ravichandran Ashwin stole the show, taking a five-wicket haul in his landmark 100th Test.India's dominance continued as they hammered England by an innings and 64 runs, clinching the series 4-1. England's James Anderson reached 700 Test wickets, becoming only the third bowler to achieve the feat.Ashwin's off-spin proved devastating for England, bowling them out for 195 within three days. The victory was a testament to Ashwin's skill and India's overall superiority in the series.

England's spin coach, Jeetan Patel, has hailed the resilience and skill of Shoaib Bashir after the young spinner overcame illness to claim four first-innings wickets in the fifth Test against India. Bashir's performance, despite being under the weather, has earned him Patel's admiration and a promise of continued support in his career progression.Bashir, along with Ollie Robinson, had missed the final training session before the Test due to illness. However, he showed remarkable determination to bowl 44 overs in India's first innings, adding to the 70 overs he bowled in the previous Test. Despite a cut on his spinning finger, Bashir remained relentless, nearly claiming a five-wicket haul.Patel praised Bashir's efforts, emphasizing the importance of perseverance and hard work. He also commended the entire England bowling attack for their resilience in taking seven wickets on the second day. "It's a hell of an effort," Patel said of Bashir's role. "He's put in a hell of a shift for us."Patel's optimistic approach to adversity has been a hallmark of the Ben Stokes-Brendon McCullum era. Despite India's lead, Patel believes England can still fight back. "We're going to have tough days in Test cricket," he said. "And today was one of them. If you put enough hard yards in, eventually the circle turns and it comes back on you."Patel's mentorship of Bashir and other young spinners is crucial for England's future. He plans to continue supporting them even after the current tour. "My work continues when they are not with England," he said. "I am not the sort of bloke who is going to leave them in the lurch."Bashir's meteoric rise from obscurity has raised questions about his future playing time. Patel acknowledged that Bashir and Hartley may face limited opportunities in the coming weeks, but he believes they have something to offer England. "They have something to offer England, but we want to keep pushing that and advancing their learning," he said.Patel's praise for Bashir's development highlights the young spinner's potential. "The spin he can access, over spin, side spin ... he's got some overs to bowl yet, he's going to have to keep learning," Patel said. "But what he's done in his three Tests here has certainly shown that."

Somerset head coach Jason Kerr has responded to England Test coach Brendon McCullum's call for increased playing time for young spinners Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley by suggesting that Bashir could be allowed to go out on loan.Bashir and Hartley have impressed in India despite limited experience in the county game, and McCullum believes they should be given more opportunities in the upcoming season. However, Kerr acknowledges that it may be difficult to accommodate two specialist spinners in the team at the start of the County Championship, which typically favors seam bowling in spring conditions."It's certainly not easy, but I always try to put myself in the player's shoes and what they want is to play cricket," Kerr said. "We start the season on April 5, and I'd be surprised if too many teams are playing two specialist spinners. So I understand there will be some questions about it."Kerr emphasized the importance of having honest conversations with Bashir about his future. "Bash will be on cloud nine right now and riding that. He would have seen the world very differently at the start of the winter than he does now that he's had international opportunities and done very well. So it's important to have really honest, transparent conversations."Bashir joined Somerset last summer and played six times in the Championship, taking 10 wickets. He has since surpassed that number in two Tests for England but will likely find himself behind Jack Leach, England's senior spinner, who is recovering from a knee injury."There's still a lot of water to go under the bridge, but what I'm not going to do is stand in the way of anyone's opportunity," Kerr said. "We will always do what is best for the player and we've done it time and time again. We've allowed people to go on loan and get some cricket because it can benefit them and us in the future, and we've said no to players because they're next in line and we might need them."Kerr indicated that Leach would be at the forefront of his planning once fit. "It's important we see both of the guys bowling first but we also look at what Leachy has done for club and country over the years," he said. "We always want competition for places and we want it to be healthy. Nobody has the right to start, but Jack has got a lot of experience, and from my side, that counts for a lot."Kerr acknowledged Bashir's potential but emphasized the need for patience. "Bash has so much time to grow and to become a world-class spinner who can bowl on all surfaces and know when to defend and attack. He'll be coming back from India to very different conditions in the UK."