Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has backed off-spinner Shoaib Bashir to play every game in the 2025-26 Ashes.
For England, marquee Test series against Australia and India have been the focus of the last two decades or so, a feeling only intensified following Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum's attempt to revive the Test team's flailing fortunes since 2022.
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The first of these stern tests came in 2023, when Australia arrived in England for the Ashes. That series ended 2-2, with a rain-affected draw making the series stalemate possible. On their tour of India in 2024, England lost 4-1 even though the series was perhaps closer than that scoreline suggests. Their home series against India is also on the line as things stand, with the possibility of ending 3-1 in England's favour, or 2-2.
Naturally, the anticipation is rising ahead of England's trip Down Under for the 2025-26 Ashes series. England's bowling attack is one of the hottest topics of discussion, with suggestions that given the nature of recent pitches in Australia, it might be viable for them to go in with an all-seam attack.
Ponting: Bashir is as similar to Nathan Lyon as anyone
“100 per cent [would have a frontline spinner], every game,” said former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting on Sky Sports. “[It would be Shoaib] Bashir, for me. Because I think he's as similar to Nathan Lyon as anyone around the world, and Lyon's record in Perth and Brisbane, particularly in Australia, are very good.
“He'll have Mitchell Starc's footmarks that he can bowl into as well. Australia will have probably three or four left-handers in their lineup which will aid the right-arm off-spinner as well. And it's the overspin that you need in Australia.”
“Finger spinners in Australia historically haven't done well because I think there's a lot of sidespin. Get some overspin on the ball, then you're in the game. I'd be playing Bashir for sure.”
There have been doubts over Bashir's spot in England's Test lineup. Famously picked by England despite meagre first-class experience, the 21-year-old has now played more Tests (19) than domestic first-class games (15), picking up 68 wickets at an average of 39 and economy rate of 3.78.
In the ongoing series against India, Bashir took 10 wickets at 54.1, before a finger injury ruled him out of the last two Tests.
Lyon: Leach is still England's best spinner
While Ponting is bullish on Bashir's abilities and similarity to Nathan Lyon, the Australian spinner himself expressed a slightly different line of thinking last week, saying that “Bashir has been okay, but in my eyes Jack Leach is still their (England's) best spinner.”
Leach's last Test came in October 2024 in Pakistan, where he played alongside Bashir and leggie Rehan Ahmed as part of a three-pronged spin attack. He has not played a home Test since June 2023 (against Ireland). When Bashir was ruled out of the ongoing series, England opted to call up Liam Dawson as a replacement.
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