‘He’s shown the world what he can do’ – Shoaib Bashir vindicates England call with landmark spell

At Lord’s, Shoaib Bashir had what Ben Stokes described as a “TFC”. He was a bowler who did not bowl: thanks for coming.

When England were in the field during that game they would return to the changing room and Brendon McCullum, the head coach, would jokingly say to Stokes: “This is Bash if you haven’t met him already.” A hint to give him an over.

But Stokes knew that Bashir was not the sort of needy young bowler who required a sympathy bowl at the end of the session to feel involved. Stokes had seen his mental strength when he was locked out of India over a visa farce, and when he endured a “strange couple of months” in being forced to go out on loan at the start of this season in search of cricket, because he plays for the same county as his England rival Jack Leach, who spent his Sunday playing for Somerset against Cornwall in Truro. In the first place, Bashir had shown perseverance in finding his way to Somerset via Surrey, Middlesex and even Berkshire.

Just over a week on, Stokes was proved emphatically right, both in selecting Bashir over Leach, and in not worrying about him at Lord’s. Bashir has become the youngest England spinner to take a five-wicket haul at home with five for 41 against West Indies. He had never even been to Trent Bridge before this week, and now he is the first spinner to take a five-wicket haul in a men’s Test here since Muttiah Muralitharan in 2006.

This was Bashir’s third Test five-fer (that is the same number as Andrew Flintoff), but the conditions were nothing like the spinning top in Ranchi earlier this year, where he took his first. This was the pitch on which England scored 400 in each innings for the first time in their Test history. By the evening of day four, when Bashir was thrown the ball to be England’s match-winner, there was barely a mark outside the right-hander’s off-stump, because there were no left-arm seamers on show, and Stuart Broad is no longer in England’s team bowling round the wicket.

“That wicket offered hardly anything for a spinner throughout the Test match, and it didn’t actually today either,” said Stokes. Bashir, having watched his West Indian counterpart Kevin Sinclair toil, “wasn’t hopeful” when he was brought into the attack for the 14th over of the chase of 385.

In the first innings, Bashir picked up two wickets, benefitting from Mark Wood’s fire-breathing spell. In the second, he earned each of his wickets. He struck in each of his first three overs, with Kirk McKenzie contriving to under-edge a cut to Jamie Smith, who took a fine catch. Next, the first innings centurion Kavem Hodge was baffled by the sharp spin, and pinned plumb in front. Then from round the wicket, drift, dip and turn fooled Alick Athanaze into edging to slip. Bashir was so excited that he launched into a celebration reminiscent of Chelsea and England footballer Cole Palmer.

It was the wicket of Jason Holder, West Indies’ last line of resistance bowled on the outside edge, that most excited Stokes. Bashir explained what he was trying to do. “That was square seam, trying to get it to skid,” he said. “The other ones I was trying to get over the top. So yeah, that was a nice change of change of pace”.

Bashir would finish the game by bowling a heaving Shamar Joseph, but there was more besides. He fooled Kevin Sinclair with a beauty, and troubled right and left-handers consistently.

Stokes could barely contain his excitement about the growth of his youngest player. “He’s shown the world what he can do,” he said. “He was so aggressive and his intent was always to look to take wickets and was never just to hold an end up.

“The way in which he can change his pace, over spin, under spin, I think he showed his full bag of tricks today. He’s got so much talent, the ceiling is so so high and he’s got an unbelievable desire and will to get better and learn.

“The great thing about Bash is if you see him get hit over his head, he starts smiling and he’s all right. He’s got no issue whatsoever about getting hit for a four or a six.”

Stokes first expressed a desire to select Bashir just over a year ago, when he sent a Twitter video of him bowling to Sir Alastair Cook (see below). It is proving an inspired piece of judgment. For Somerset, Bashir averages 69. For England, it is 29.

They select based on attributes they believe will allow players to thrive at the highest level. England’s selection mantra is that when he is first picked, a young player is “the worst he is ever going to be”, so choose those with the room to grow. This summer at least, it is going very nicely; Gus Atkinson and Smith were brilliant at Lord’s, and Bashir was here.

Key among the attributes England love is Bashir’s height. Jonathan Agnew, a former fast bowler, noted that Bashir was taller than him. “Six foot four and still growing,” was Bashir’s reply. Still growing in more ways than one.