The 20-year-old Shoaib Bashir was crucial to England’s 241-run triumph over the West Indies at Trent Bridge in the second Test. The youthful off-spinner put the match away with his maiden five-wicket haul on home ground in England, making him the youngest bowler from England to do so in a home Test match.
Up until now, Bashir’s journey has been nothing short of remarkable. Bashir’s journey has been incredible; he was released by Surrey when he was still in the age group, made an impression against Somerset’s second team, and then caught the attention of England captain Ben Stokes via a social media footage.
After taking 17 wickets on a successful tour of India earlier this year, his performance in Nottingham cemented his spot in England’s Test lineup. England’s batting prowess was on display once more in the match, as they scored more than 400 in both of the two innings for the first time in their Test history.
A difficult goal of 385 was set for the West Indies by the centuries of Joe Root and Harry Brook. But the spell cast by Bashir was what really broke the chase’s back. As he considered his performance, Bashir maintained his composure.
There is always a learning curve, you know. I just need to keep working hard and be thankful for everything that has been given to me. Cricket is a challenging sport overall. I’m still growing and learning. Of course, things are different in India. You come here, and you’re not given much time to bowl in the opening innings. I’m just attempting to be more consistent. My bowling performance in the first innings didn’t exactly satisfy me. So it was good to make some money there,” he stated, according to.
If it had struck the stumps, that would have been nice: Shoaib Bashir
Bashir’s second-inning 5 for 41 was a masterpiece in spin bowling, making excellent use of his height and variations. There was one very noteworthy delivery to Jason Holder that just missed the stumps.
“I bowled Holder a ball through the gate, and it narrowly missed the stumps. Yes, that excited me. If it had struck the stumps, that would have been fantastic. I wasn’t really expecting it to happen, but it also spun wide. I think that was the most memorable one,” he continued.
Even though he was successful, Bashir is still critical of his own performance, especially the runs he gave up while chasing wickets in the first innings. His self-awareness and will to do better are encouraging signs for his future in the English system.
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“No, the talks with management weren’t at all like that. I’m merely appreciative with my current situation. I think religion helps me because I take things one step at a time. I will always maintain my modesty and sense of reality. Growing up, playing cricket wasn’t the simplest thing for me; I remember how difficult things were for me when I first started. I’m just trying to enjoy every second of wearing an England shirt, so yeah,” he said in closing.
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