England’s squad announcement for their upcoming tour of India sprung a major surprise with 20-year-old Somerset off-spinner Shoaib Bashir sensationally fast-tracked to the senior set-up.
The 16-man team consists of three players who have not yet played an international match. Bashir was joined by Lancashire left-arm spinner Tom Hartley and Surrey speedster Gus Atkinson. Both have played limited-overs cricket for England in recent months.
However, it was Mr. Bashir’s choice that caught the most attention. Bashir played just six first-class matches and had just 10 first-class wickets to his name, worth 67 runs each, at the time of his first England call-up.
Here are five talking points from the England national team’s announcement. This includes why England turned to Bashir despite his not-so-high first-class grades.
County Championship form disregarded as England highlight valued attributes
The highlight of the lineup announcement was undoubtedly the invitation of Bashir and Hartley. He took just 29 Championship wickets in 2023 at 52.48. England’s chief executive of men’s cricket, Rob Key, did not shy away from the implication that circular shape needs to be ignored to some extent when identifying the spinners most likely to succeed in India. “You pretty much have to ignore what’s happened in county cricket,” Key said. “This is a very different style of bowling and we have to try and see who is the best player for what we are dealing with. And that’s where we ended up.”
The key is that Bashir’s high release point is a trait England’s management values, and it’s a trait the Somerset youngster shares with Hartley, the team’s other unused player. he emphasized. Bashir’s “skill” and ability to change pace without making a noticeable difference in the action were also cited as reasons for his rapid promotion to the first team. Bashir’s excellent game for England Lions in Afghanistan A vs Afghanistan A (a match featuring Key and Brendon McCullum in the United Arab Emirates) places him ahead of the likes of Jack Carson and Callum Parkinson There is a high possibility that it will.
In demand spin-bowling all-rounders not picked
The most controversial omission was that of Liam Dawson, arguably the 2023 County Championship player who took 20 to 49 wickets in Division One. Dawson has a lucrative SA20 contract that coincides with the first half of the India series, but Key admitted there had been no communication between England and Dawson regarding the Hampshire all-rounder’s availability for the series. As far as England were concerned, Dawson was available for selection. But Key admitted the 33-year-old is probably not at a stage in his career where he particularly wants to be “number 15”. Being, as he puts it, “the 16th man in the team” indicates Dawson’s place in England’s hierarchy of spin options. Key specifically noted that Hartley’s bowling style was flatter than Dawson’s and faster from a higher point of release, making him superior to his left-arm spinning rivals.
Will Jacks, who hit a six on his Test debut in Pakistan last year, was also left out of the squad because his slow and erratic fingerspin was not appreciated at the time.
Ben Foakes returns
Ben Foakes did little wrong in Ben Stokes’ Test team before making way for the returning Jonny Bairstow earlier this year. Foakes returned almost a year ago after making his final Test appearance in Wellington earlier this year. Foakes is undoubtedly a better gloveman than Bairstow, especially under subcontinental conditions, but if Bairstow is to be deployed as a specialist batsman, it will take some selection practice to accommodate both in the eleven. . The return of Ollie Pope, who missed most of the Ashes match with a shoulder injury, and Ben Stokes’ continued decline in bowling ability will make the composition of the top seven even more difficult, with England finding balance in their top 11. Things are getting more difficult. Realistically, if Foulkes is included in the XI, either Pope, Bairstow or Harry Brook will have to make way.
Ben Stokes likely to be fit, but highly unlikely to bowl
Key also more or less confirmed that Ben Stokes, who only underwent surgery on a knee injury after returning from the World Cup, will return as a specialist batsman. Apart from a clumsy medium pacer in Brooks, the only viable bowling option in the top six is Joe Root, and balancing a team with sufficient batting and bowling depth is no easy task.
Seamer shortage
England selected just four seamers – James Anderson, Mark Wood, Ollie Robinson and Gus Atkinson – for the five-Test series, which seems like the shortest of any tour of India. While spin dominated England’s last tour of India in 2021, the role of seam bowlers has become increasingly important in India in recent years. Josh Tan almost certainly would have been selected if he had been fit, but he has been sidelined with a chest injury. With the Lions also scheduled to tour Asia at the same time, England can hope to tap into these reserves at some point during the tour.
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