Shoaib Bashir Earns Unexpected Selection in England's Ashes Squad
The English team has chosen a twelve-player selection just 48 hours ahead of the opening Test match, with the 22-year-old spinner securing a unexpected spot.
Bashir's selection indicates that the visiting team will delay until the day of the first Test to decide whether the venue conditions favor a pace-heavy attack or the inclusion of a spinner.
Both pace bowlers are part of the 12-man squad, showing there are no doubts about either fast bowler's condition.
The other seamers complete the bowling group, with the latter expected to be omitted if Bashir makes the final team.
Ground Conditions Lean Toward Seamers
The England coach had been expected to choose an all-seam attack on a ground that has staged several previous Tests.
During these matches, the majority of dismissals have fallen to pace bowling, with only a small number to spin.
Of those 40 wickets, the veteran spinner has taken the bulk, while overseas slow bowlers together have only eight.
At a venue renowned for its speed and carry, and whose curator, the pitch preparer, pledged that these characteristics are “a mainstay and not going to change,” a side loaded with fast bowlers is still the more likely decision.
Spin Options Considered
There had been rumors that the all-rounder could be parachuted into the team to provide some slow bowling while also strengthening the lower order.
However the coach has chosen to stick with Bashir, having said earlier this year that he would be his first-choice spinner for the Ashes.
In July, Lyon described the English spinner as “decent,” adding that “in my eyes, Jack Leach is still England’s best spinner.”
“It is a huge responsibility, and it can be a significant test for people who lack experience in the past in these conditions,” he remarked of slow bowling in Australian Tests.
“I’m not going to reveal my strategies so opponents come out and excel out here.”
English 12-man Squad for First Ashes Test
- Ben Stokes (c)
- The Pace Bowler
- Gus Atkinson
- The Spinner
- The Batsman
- The Fast Bowler
- The Opener
- The Batsman
- Ollie Pope
- Joe Root
- The Wicketkeeper
- The Speedster
