Shoaib Bashir backed to thrive in Ashes as England spinner returns from injury

Shoaib Bashir is raring to go for the Ashes and make up for the anguish he felt at his summer ending prematurely, according to England spin bowling coach Jeetan Patel.

England’s preferred spinner heads to Perth next week to continue preparations for the first Test on November 21, which is set to be his first outing since breaking a finger against India in mid-July.

Bashir, who had a screw inserted into the little finger on his non-bowling hand, recently attended a spin camp supervised by ex-Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara and has been working with England Lions.

He will continue under the guidance of former England spinner Richard Dawson until linking up in a couple of weeks with Patel, who has backed Bashir to flourish in Australia this winter.

“He’s super excited to get back into playing cricket,” Patel said. “That injury during the India series, which hurt him, he was quite broken by that, but he’s come back strong.

“I think he’s really ready and excited for a series that could offer him a lot.”

Having missed the last three Tests against India and been overlooked by Somerset at the back end of the English season, Bashir will have just one warm-up prior to his first experience of Ashes cricket.

That will be England taking on Andrew Flintoff’s Lions from November 13-15, but Patel is convinced 22-year-old Bashir does not need much of a tune-up to be ready for the attempt to regain the urn.

“I think that’s a bit of a myth for Bash – he’s too young to understand that,” Patel added. “It’s almost like because he’s so raw with it all, he takes everything in his stride.

“He loves playing for England, he’s voiced that within the group and the guys love the fact that’s what he’s about.

“He’s had a different path into international cricket and he’s always learning, but the fact he loves playing for England is what the boys feed off and he gives everything he can for the team.”

Patel, the former New Zealand spinner who was speaking in his hometown of Wellington ahead of England’s third ODI against the Black Caps on Saturday, was similarly gushing about all-rounder Will Jacks.

Jacks was a left-field selection as Bashir’s understudy, edging out Rehan Ahmed, Liam Dawson and Jack Leach. He has a Test five-for but was last in whites for England in 2022 and could be used in a different role to Bashir as a lower-order batter who offers part-time off-spin.

“I certainly think he’s a great asset for our group,” Patel added. “A Test five-for on debut is not bad, is it, especially in Pakistan.

“He’s grown from what he was when he first played for England to what he offers now – he’s someone who’s just rounded himself. I think he’s a huge asset to English cricket.”

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