Former England captain Michael Vaughan praised Shoaib Bashir’s spin ability but questioned his prospects of appearing in India’s five-match Test series. The 20-year-old was named along with fellow uncapped spinner Tom Hartley and speedster Gus Atkinson in England’s 16-man squad for the high-octane series.
Shoaib Bashir impressed everyone during a recent England Lions training camp in the United Arab Emirates, after making his first-class debut for Somerset in June, where he took 10 wickets at an average of 67. Because of his exceptional performance, he was brought into the senior team for the India tour.
Speaking on Fox Sports, Michael Vaughan praised Shoaib Bashir for his outstanding bowling in the county championship and believes that being with the team in Indian conditions, which usually favour spinners, would be a huge learning experience for him. He also suggested that England might use Joe Root as an off-spinner in the team.
“I’ve seen quite a lot of (Bashir) because I go down to Somerset to watch a bit of cricket, he’s very talented and has a nice release of the ball,” Michael Vaughan said.
“He gets nice drift, a bit of flight… Bashir is a young kid, with everything to gain for the future, a huge amount to gain by being in India. I don’t think he will play. I think Joe Root’s off-spin will be where they go in the off-spin department but he might sneak a game down the back end if they aren’t going so well,” Michael Vaughan added.
Shoaib Bashir is one of four spinners chosen for the tour, along with Somerset teammate Jack Leach to be part of the squad. England vice-captain Ollie Pope and left-arm spinner Jack Leach, return to the squad after recovering from injury.
The England squad will travel to the UAE in mid-January for a preparatory camp before arriving in India soon before the first Test on January 25 in Hyderabad. England Lions group will also accompany the main team on their journey to India.
England Squad: Ben Stokes (captain), Rehan Ahmed, James Anderson, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes (wicketkeeper), Tom Hartley, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood