England spinner Shoaib Bashir is reportedly set to leave Somerset at the end of the season in order to play more regular first-team County Championship cricket.
Before joining up with England for their one-off Test against Zimbabwe last month, in which Bashir was awarded Player of the Match after taking five wickets in the second innings, he hadn't played a Championship match in over a month. He started the season playing three matches for Glamorgan on loan, with his home county Somerset preferring to select Jack Leach as their first-choice spinner alongside all-rounder Archie Vaughan. Bashir's form at Glamorgan was an early-season concern for his England place, after he struggled to take wickets and accumulated a season average of 152.
A report from ESPNcricinfo revealed today (June 2) that there are currently no plans between Somerset and Bashir to renew his contract when it runs out at the end of this summer. Bashir played four County Championship matches and one 50-over game for Somerset last year, and has not been in their T20 side for the beginning of this year's Blast.
6-81 in 18 overs 🔥
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) May 24, 2025
Shoaib Bashir was on fire in the second innings against Zimbabwe, becoming the youngest since Fred Trueman in 1952 to pick up a six-for for England in Test cricket.#ENGvZIM pic.twitter.com/F1wp1Zzgzj
The report stated that no county has yet made an approach to Bashir, with the window for players to speak to other club's in regard to next year now open. A consideration for counties wishing to sign Bashir is the length of time they are likely to lose him to international duty during the season, with him now established as England's first-choice Test spinner.
Somerset's non-selection of Bashir has been a contentious issue since he first came into the England Test set-up for their tour of India last year. Speaking after that series, England head coach Brendon McCullum said it would be "slightly mad" if Bashir, and fellow spinner on that tour Tom Hartley, were not selected by their counties at the start of the 2024 summer. Having struggled for opportunities at Somerset that season, Bashir went on loan to Worcestershire, for whom he played two Championship matches.
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