Somerset Youngster Earns England Opportunity
Somerset youngster Shoaib Bashir has earned a place in the England squad for the Test series with India that gets underway in January.
England will travel to Indian soil for five Tests in Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Rajkot, Ranchi & Dharamsala, with Bashir being the surprise name amongst the touring party, which also includes team-mate Jack Leach as he prepares to return to England duty after injury.
Bashir made his first class debut for Vertu Motors-supported Somerset earlier this season against Essex, taking his maiden wicket when he had Sam Cook caught by Tom Lammonby.
Making a total of six appearances, off-spinner Bashir picked up ten wickets at an average of 67 – his best performance coming against Hampshire with personal bests of 3/67 in an innings and 6/155 in a match.
That game would also see Bashir score 44 not out with the bat, his best batting performance by far.
Bashir is one of three newcomers to the squad and although managing director of England cricket Rob Key described the youngster as ‘raw’ given his relative lack of experience, he also admitted that there would be no concerns about throwing him into action if required as England chase a winning start to 2024.