ENG vs IND | Shoaib Bashir slated for surgery to leave spinner's spot open for Leach or Dawson
England have been struck a major blow ahead of the fourth Test against India in Manchester with frontline spinner Shoaib Bashir set to miss out the next two games. Bashir had taken the final wicket in the third Test at Lord's to put England 2-1 up despite fracturing his finger earlier in the game.
Shoaib Bashir has been confirmed to miss the final two Tests of the marquee five-match series against India, hours after taking the final scalp that gave the hosts a 2-1 series lead in a nervy finish at Lord's. The off-spinner had been struck by a ferocious hit down the ground from Ravindra Jadeja off his own bowling on Day 3 and was immediately withdrawn before making crucial cameo appearances over the next two days to contribute to a famous win. However, the 21-year-old requires surgery for his fractured little finger in the left-hand which is set to end his 18-match streak for the Test side dating back to his debut series in India last year.
"It's not good news for Bash. Very disappointing for us as a team and for him, a big shame," skipper Ben Stokes said after the Lord's Test.
Bashir did not bowl in the first innings after his injury but did come out to bat at 11 with England hoping to set a competitive target, and faced nine deliveries against Jasprit Bumrah and Washington Sundar before the latter castled him for a score of two. When India came out to bat next, Bashir stayed off the field but was called to service by his captain before Tea for a three-over spell with Ravindra Jadeja and Bumrah refusing to give up their 10th wicket stand. While the effort did not produce any success, it gave Stokes the confidence to bring on Bashir again post-Tea and the youngster delivered by dispatching Mohammed Siraj by imparting tremendous amounts of revs on the red cherry, thus ending a 70-ball stand that stood between the hosts and victory.
"What an amazing feeling for him to be able to take that wicket there and with his hand in the state that it's in, amazing," Stokes said of the youngster.
"The courage that he showed to go out there and bat at the end for us and willing to sit there on the bench waiting for his moment to come on and bowl just proves how much it means to everyone who gets the opportunity to put the shirt on, that not even a couple of breaks is going to stop anyone getting out there.
"Very proud of the way that he went about the rest of the week after having to come off the field. There would be a lot of people who might not necessarily have been brave enough to go out there and face Bumrah and then also put himself up for wanting to get out there and bowl and help his team."
The injury might pave the way for a return to the Test side for Jack Leach, who has 39 Tests to his name and at the start of the decade had become England's primary spin option until losing favour to Bashir. The southpaw last featured in Pakistan in 2024 and has Liam Dawson to contend with, who does not boast the same bowling credentials but provides depth with the bat lower down the order.
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