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uk_hub January 30, 2024

Bashir in frame as England weigh up all-spin attack in second Test against India

Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir could make Test debut

‘We won’t be afraid to play all spinners,’ says Brendon McCullum.

England landed on India’s verdant east coast on Tuesday in seemingly buoyant mood, with their head coach, Brendon McCullum, ­revealing that Shoaib Bashir is in contention for a possible Test debut this week and an all-spin attack is not out of the question.

 

Off-spinner Bashir, 20, had his entry into India delayed by visa complications but arrived on Sunday to watch England claim a 1-0 series lead. The 28-run victory in Hyderabad was not without one casualty, however, with Jack Leach now facing a race to fit for the second Test that starts on Friday after suffering a badly bruised left knee.

Bash was with us during our camp in Abu Dhabi and he really impressed with his skillset,” McCullum told SENZ radio in his native New Zealand. “He fitted in seamlessly within the group and he’s a guy who’s got an immense amount of enthusiasm, albeit at a young age and pretty limited in his first-class experience. When he arrived, the boys gave him a huge cheer and he got to witness something pretty special. He comes into calculations for the next Test match. If the wickets continue to spin as much as what we saw in the first Test as the series goes on, look, we won’t be afraid to play all spinners, or a balance of what we’ve got.”

 

England clearly have no qualms about thrusting Bashir into the fray, the success of the similarly green Tom Hartley – nine wickets on debut, including seven in the fourth innings – representing a feather in the cap for Ben Stokes after the left-armer was taken apart by India’s openers in his first spell.

 

McCullum said: “I thought that was a real sign of leadership. It was a clear message to not just Tom, but those that are around the squad, that when we talk about freedom, taking the game on and trying to come in and make a difference, you’re not going to be cast aside or taken off the crease from the first sign of danger.