England face a potential headache for the last two India Tests, with off-spinner Shoaib Bashir suffering a broken finger during the third match at Lord’s.
Bashir returned to bowl on the final day with his little finger, on his non-bowling hand, heavily strapped, but it is as yet unclear whether the injury will rule him out from here on.
Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum have invested plenty of time into the junior twirler, backing him as their first-choice since the start of last summer following an impressive debut tour of India. While his form has been up and down, they have identified a skillset they believe can contribute in Australia, and, if he is unable to play at Old Trafford or The Oval, it will deprive him of a valuable two Tests-worth of experience and learning.
More urgently, England will need to replace Bashir against India, with the series still in the balance. He has bowled the most overs of any England bowler in the series, and is fourth in the wicket charts.
How could England replace Bashir?
A like-for-like spinner
Perhaps the most likely option is simply to revert to the spinner established as England’s No.1 before Bashir’s emergence. Jack Leach has hardly been discarded altogether, playing through England’s Test series defeat in Pakistan and keeping his place in the squad to tour New Zealand, and he has impressed in the County Championship for Somerset, taking 32 wickets at 26.50, the most by a spinner in either division.
Liam Dawson is another candidate. The left-arm spinning all-rounder made his long-awaited international comeback earlier this summer during West Indies’ white-ball tour, and had exceptional back-to-back seasons in the 2023 and 2024 County Championships. He has found less penetration this season, averaging a touch over 40 with the ball, but an average in the mid-forties with the bat underlines the batting depth he could offer England.
Another all-rounder available for selection is Rehan Ahmed. The leg-spinner has undergone a reinvention this season, making three centuries in the top order for Leicestershire. He has barely been used with the ball, averaging fewer than eight overs per game and largely used against the tail. He has been effective when he has been employed, taking seven wickets at 23. Injury has forced him to play as a specialist batter in the T20 Blast before a return to bowling action in the Foxes’ most recent game against Worcestershire Rapids.
All in on pace
England face another selection dilemma over their fast bowlers, with Gus Atkinson fit again and all of Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse having impressed at Lord’s. There is a school of thought that, should Bashir’s progress continue to stall, an all-seam attack could be the way to go in Australia, where touring finger-spinners have traditionally struggled, and this could present a chance to test that balance of the attack, relying on the off-spin of Joe Root when required. Old Trafford and The Oval have reputations for helping spinners, however, which could deter England from going in without a specialist.
Time for Bethell?
England’s major decision ahead of this series was over whether they could fit Jacob Bethell in their side. The youngster impressed with three half-centuries on his maiden Test tour in New Zealand, filling in for Jamie Smith, absent on paternity leave, and has starred in white-ball cricket. His occasional left-arm spin has seen some tout him as a potential all-round option for England, replacing Bashir altogether. However, McCullum dismissed that suggestion ahead of the third Test. “He's a batting option,” McCullum said. “He's the next one in if something happens. He wants to keep improving his bowling so that he can obviously impact the game across both the bat and ball. It's not something we'd look at from a tactical point of view to do.”
Still, England may yet be tempted to make a batting change, with Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley each struggling at Edgbaston and Lord’s. If Bethell does earn selection as a batter, his and Root’s spin combined may just tempt England to play a fifth quick, rather than replace Bashir with a specialist.
Follow Wisden for all England vs India updates, including live scores, latest news, team lineups, schedule and more. The live streaming details for the ENG vs IND series in India, UK, USA and rest of the world can be found here. For Wisden quizzes, head here.
