Uncapped Bashir in England Test squad for India

4 months ago 86

Gus Atkinson, Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir.

Gus Atkinson, Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir are all uncapped at Test level

Dates: 25 January - 11 March
Venues: Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Rajkot, Ranchi & Dharamsala
Coverage: Live text commentary on BBC Sport website and app.

Uncapped 20-year-old Somerset off-spinner Shoaib Bashir has been named in England's squad for the five-match Test series against India.

Bashir has only played six first-class matches, having made his debut in June.

Surrey fast bowler Gus Atkinson and Lancashire left-arm spinner Tom Hartley, who have represented England in white-ball cricket but are uncapped at Test level, are also included.

The first Test starts in Hyderabad on 25 January.

Batter and vice-captain Ollie Pope and left-arm spinner Jack Leach return to the side after injuries.

Pope dislocated his shoulder in this summer's second Ashes Test at Lord's, while Leach missed the entirety of that series with a stress fracture of the back.

Ben Stokes leads the side after undergoing surgery on his left knee following England's 50-over World Cup campaign,but will only play as a batter.

"His surgery has been a success, we are expecting him to be fit but we are not expecting him to be able to bowl," said managing director of England men's cricket Rob Key.

"We never had him down to be bowling in India. This is part of an ongoing process in terms of getting him back to bowling."

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England Test squad: Ben Stokes (capt), Rehan Ahmed, James Anderson, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Tom Hartley, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood.

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Bashir took 10 wickets in his six first-class matches in 2023, and played five games in Somerset's winning T20 Blast campaign before being called up to the England Lions squad for a training camp in the United Arab Emirates in November and December.

Key said Bashir is "very raw" but "his ceiling is really high".

"He's going for experience as much as anything else but we won't be afraid to play him if required," added Key.

"This is the start of a journey of hopefully a world-class spinner in the future."

Hartley, 24, made his England one-day international debut against Ireland in September, while Atkinson, 25, made his white-ball debuts in the summer and was part of Jos Buttler's recent World Cup squad in India.

Hampshire spinner Liam Dawson, who last played a Test in 2017, has not been included despite being the County Championship's leading English spinner in 2023, with 49 wickets at an average of 20.

"He is probably not someone who wants to go around India as the 15th or 16th man," said Key.

"If he's not going to play then I don't think it's high on his agenda to be going as essentially a replacement bowler."

Wicketkeeper Ben Foakes, who was omitted from the Ashes squad, returns to the fold alongside leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed, 19, who took seven wickets on his Test debut against Pakistan last year.

Ahmed was called up during the Ashes as injury cover for spinner Moeen Ali, who has retired from Test cricket again, but did not feature.

All-rounder Chris Woakes, player of the series during the Ashes, is not included, while there is also no place for fast bowlers Josh Tongue and Matthew Potts, nor batter Dan Lawrence.

England's leading Test wicket-taker James Anderson, 41, has retained his place in the pace attack, alongside Ollie Robinson and Mark Wood. Stuart Broad retired after the final Test of the 2-2 Ashes series draw in July.

Key said England have selected Anderson and Robinson ahead of Woakes as bowlers who can use reverse swing, but he expected to see "a lot" of Woakes in the side throughout 2024, with 17 Tests scheduled.

Ahmed, Atkinson, Pope, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett were all part of England's recent ODI side in the West Indies.

Brook, Atkinson and Ahmed are also involved in the T20 leg, which starts on Tuesday and ends on 21 December.

India, the number one ranked Test side in the world, travel to South Africa for two Tests in December and January.

England drew their last series 2-2 against India at home in 2021-22, but have not won a Test series there since 2012-13.