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Who Is Shoaib Bashir? The Somerset Star Who Included In England’s Upcoming Test Squad For India

image-lq0wt50uShoaib Bashir (x.com)

Young off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, having made his competitive debuts across all formats through Somerset during the 2023 English domestic season, has received a national call-up for England’s high-profile 2024 Test tour of India.

Under the guidance of charismatic leader Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, a 16-player England squad will be taking flight to India in mid-January to play a series of five Test matches.

As England braces itself for a grueling month-and-a-half-long trip to India, here at OneCricket, we take a brief look at the journey of Somerset spin prodigy and a potential English Test debutant, Shoaib Bashir.

Who is Shoaib Bashir?

Born in 2003, Shoaib Bashir played age-group cricket with Surrey and Middlesex before signing a county deal with Somerset in 2022. The cricketer convinced the bigwigs of Somerset into signing a deal through a profitable season with the ball for the club’s Second-XI, where he picked nine wickets at an astonishing average of just 14.11.

The following year, i.e., in June 2023, the right-arm off-spinner made his senior debut for the cricket club in a Vitality Blast T20 game against Hampshire. The 20-year-old also featured on the final day, where Somerset defeated Surrey and Essex in successive knockout fixtures to lift only their second T20 trophy and their first in 18 years.

Less than a week after making his T20 debut, the youngster received his maiden first-class cap in Chelmsford through a County Championship Division One game against Essex, where he returned with an expensive match haul of 1-182 from 49 overs.

Bashir ended up improving his first-class profile during the course of his subsequent five county appearances, as he eventually finished his maiden season with 10 wickets from six matches.

As of now, he is one of the four England spinners in line to tour India in January alongside senior man Jack Leach and fellow rising stars Tom Hartley and Rehan Ahmed. Here is a complete look at England’s 16-player spin-heavy squad for five Tests in India:

Ben Stokes (c), Rehan Ahmed, James Anderson, Joe Root, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes (wk), Tom Hartley, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, and Mark Wood.