Nathan Lyon, the greatest offspinner in Australia’s history, claims that offspinner Shoaib Bashir, England’s injured No. 1 spinner and probable 2025–2026 Ashes visitor, “has been okay” and that left-arm spinner Jack Leach is still the country’s finest spinner.
Former England seamer James Anderson told Lyon that Bashir had been chosen to try and emulate Nathan Lyon style in Australia, Nathan Lyon said during a Cricket Australia sponsorship announcement in Sydney on Thursday.
Nathan Lyon, meanwhile, thinks Leach is still England’s finest spinner.
“I obviously played with Jimmy Anderson last year at Lancashire, and they basically said that they’re picking Bashir to do what I do,” Lyon stated. Jimmy showing some appreciation for what I’ve accomplished in my profession made me feel a little proud. Bashir, however, has fared well.
“Jacob Bethell appears to be taking up Liam Dawson’s spin bowling in this Test match [against India] at The Oval. However, Jack Leach continues to be their finest spinner in my opinion.
The 34-year-old Leach hasn’t played for England since the tour of Pakistan last year, when he had a lacklustre series in comparison to Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, who led Pakistan to victory in the last two Test matches. Bashir’s nine wickets at 49.55 and 79.44, respectively, were still well below Leach’s performance of 16 wickets at an average of 31.43 and a strike rate of 50.75 in three Test matches in that series.
Since then, England has pledged to use Bashir as their top spinner in their last three series, which they have played against India, Zimbabwe, and New Zealand. After eight years in the Test wilderness, Liam Dawson returned as England’s only spinner for the fourth Test in Manchester after suffering a finger injury that ended the series in the Lord’s Test of the current series against India. Since then, England has selected Jacob Bethell as a part-time left-arm spin alternative and four fast bowlers in place of Dawson for the fifth and final Test match at The Oval.
In his most recent appearance, Leach took 6 for 63 on a wicket that Ian Botham called “appalling” during a two-day match between Somerset and Durham at Taunton. With 39 wickets at 24.76 this season, including two six-wicket hauls, Leach is presently the top spinner and fourth-leading wicket-taker in the County Championship’s division one.
Leach missed the last Test in Hobart and played three Test matches in Australia during the 2021–22 Ashes tour, taking just six wickets at 53.50. Instead, Australia won in three days after England selected four seamers in a pink-ball match in which Lyon did not bowl a single delivery.
While none of the three four-day matches against Australia A and Cricket Australia (CA) XI were played at Test sites, Bashir was sent on the England Lions tour of Australia earlier this year.
In the two matches against the CA XI in Brisbane, he posted match numbers of 2 for 91 and 1 for 109. Bashir took 1 for 74 in the lone innings he bowled against Australia A in the unofficial Test match at Cricket Central in Sydney, which the Lions lost by an innings.
In Australia’s most recent Test match against the West Indies in Jamaica, Lyon was left out of the lineup because the selectors chose to use four quicks in a pink-ball encounter that was over in two and a half days. Even though the Australian Ashes wickets have been extremely seam-friendly in previous years, he thinks spinners will still have a role to play.
“It is a massive role, and it can be a massive challenge for people who haven’t done it in the past in these conditions,” Lyon stated. But in order for them to come out and do well out here, I won’t reveal my secrets. In this nation, our guys are really skilled at playing spin. That’s most likely what enabled me to develop my skill to its current level. We’ll watch how their spinners do, and I’m confident that I’ll keep working to improve.”
India
