Shoaib Bashir Makes Surprise Inclusion in English Test Series Squad
The English team has chosen a 12-man squad just 48 hours ahead of the opening Test match, with Shoaib Bashir securing a unexpected spot.
The 22-year-old’s inclusion indicates that the tourists will wait until the day of the first Test to decide whether the venue conditions favor a pace-heavy attack or the addition of a spin bowler.
Jofra Archer and Mark Wood are included in the 12-man squad, showing there are no doubts about their pace bowler’s fitness.
Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse complete the bowling group, with the latter expected to be omitted if Bashir enters the final team.
Pitch Factors Lean Toward Pace Bowlers
Brendon McCullum had been expected to choose an all-seam attack on a ground that has staged five past matches.
In those matches, 134 wickets have fallen to pace bowling, with only a small number to spin bowling.
Among these spin dismissals, Australia’s Nathan Lyon has claimed the bulk, while overseas slow bowlers together have just a handful.
At a venue renowned for its pace and bounce, and whose groundsman, the pitch preparer, pledged that these characteristics are “a mainstay and not going to change,” a side relying on fast bowlers remains the more likely decision.
Alternative Choices Considered
Previously there was rumors that Will Jacks could be parachuted into the side to offer some spin while additionally bolstering the batting lineup.
But McCullum has opted to stick with the young spinner, having said earlier this year that he would be his first-choice spinner for the series.
In July, Lyon described the English spinner as “OK,” adding that “from my perspective, Jack Leach is still England’s top slow bowler.”
“This is a huge responsibility, and it can be a massive challenge for bowlers who haven’t done it in the past in these conditions,” Lyon remarked of slow bowling in matches Down Under.
“I won't reveal my strategies so they come out and excel out here.”
England 12-man Squad for First Ashes Test
- Ben Stokes (c)
- The Pace Bowler
- Gus Atkinson
- The Spinner
- The Batsman
- The Fast Bowler
- The Opener
- Ben Duckett
- Ollie Pope
- The Veteran
- The Wicketkeeper
- Mark Wood
