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BBC News
a day ago
- General
- BBC News
How Bazball's baby showed merit in England's thinking
England's Tuesday began stuck in was Jamie Smith who ensured there were no dangers of them grinding to a halt team that arrived at The Oval on e-bikes after traffic problems in London were powered to their victory by a freewheeling Smith, who followed a duck in Cardiff with an electric 64 from 28 balls to clinch a series clean sweep."I wanted to push out my chest a bit and say that I'm good enough to open the batting," Smith, 24, said after the seven-wicket the face of it, England's decision to employ Smith as an opener in this series is one straight from the playbook of out-of-the-box decisions made in the Brendon McCullum era of English Shoaib Bashir being called up for the Test side on the back of six first-class appearances was rogue, asking Smith to open the batting for a floundering 50-over side at the start of a new era - a position he has never batted in professional cricket - was not far behind. But in reality, despite regular 50-over openers Will Jacks or Tom Banton looking the frontrunners in the squad beforehand, Smith was always the obvious candidate - he is, after all, Bazball's favourite Foakes did little wrong in India in 2024 but by England's next Test, Smith had replaced 70 on debut and 95 in his third Test, the talk around Smith was glowing. When he made his maiden Test century a match later against Sri Lanka there were already suggestions he should take a job proving as troublesome to fill as the manager's role at Old Trafford - England's Test number Bethell's emergence has put that one on the backburner but when McCullum took over as England's white-ball coach last September it was no coincidence Smith was recalled to the set-up for the next Harry Brook revealed last week McCullum was talking about the possibility of Smith opening at the Champions Trophy in Pakistan - before incumbent Phil Salt had been shown the door."Me and Baz think Smudge could be an unbelievable white-ball opener," Brook said before the is no criticism but Brook has begun to sound like a jammed cassette when outlining his ideal batter since taking the Leeds to London, "we want batters that can put their best balls under pressure" he has said again and again - and could have hardly have done that better than he did in the third Surrey academy product received nine balls on a 'good length' under the lights at his cricketing home and scored 20 runs at a strike-rate north of 200. Across the match, his batting contemporaries managed 56 runs off 71 balls against such fascination with Smith comes with all of the caveats of his international career being only 24 matches old but with the knowledge that at his best he can seemingly do it this very ground against Sri Lanka last year he scored 15 from his first 31 deliveries in a Test before crashing 52 off his next 18. He has a technically solid defence and drives through the covers with ease. But he can also pick the ball off a length and deposit it over mid-wicket as he did on Tuesday."He's not a slogger, is he? He's playing proper shots," was how Brook put it also know the importance of an opening partnership if their rebirth after the troubles of Jos Buttler's final 18 months as captain is to be Morgan's World Cup-winning team had Buttler's fireworks, a match-winner in Ben Stokes and Joe Root's calmness but none of that would have been possible without Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow setting platforms that would have been too big for the Tests, England's best performances under McCullum captaincy - in Rawalpindi, at The Oval, or at Edgbaston - have all been built on significant opening Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley against the red ball, Duckett and Smith attack the white like they are playing different get technical, Duckett's average interception point against seamers is around 1.77m, 33cm behind Smith' right-hander Smith targets boundaries in front of him, left-hander Duckett has scored only 18% his career runs against pacers in the 'V'.And in McCullum, Smith has a coach who opened 107 times in ODIs and did so in a New Zealand side that reached a World Cup final - an ideal sounding board should one be one may expect with England's relaxed approach, however, Smith has largely been left to create his own plans during his first week in the job."He knows how to bat," Brook said."Like I said so many times, he's done it in Test cricket for periods. "He's gonna have a good go at it at the top in one-day cricket and I think everybody's excited to see how he goes."Brook knows there will be bumps to come but Smith will be given every chance to lead England on their ride.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
England's Bashir open to leaving Somerset
Shoaib Bashir took nine wickets in England's defeat of Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge [Getty Images] England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir is open to leaving Somerset when his contract expires at the end of the season in order to play more county cricket. The 21-year-old is first-choice spinner for Ben Stokes' Test team but behind left-armer Jack Leach in the pecking order at Taunton. Advertisement Bashir had three County Championship matches on loan at Glamorgan earlier this season and one match for Worcestershire in 2024. He is now free to speak to other counties as, from 1 June each year, players with expiring contracts are permitted to negotiate with other clubs. ESPNCricinfo have named Surrey, Warwickshire and Worcestershire as potential destinations. Bashir signed a two-year deal with Somerset in 2023, and was then picked for England's tour of India the following year after playing only six first-class matches. Despite a modest domestic record – Bashir's average in the County Championship is 84 – he has thrived for his country under Stokes' leadership. Advertisement He was man of the match in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe last month with career-best match figures of 9-143, which also included Bashir becoming the youngest England man to reach 50 Test wickets. While he has replaced Leach as England's number one spinner, Somerset have kept faith with the 33-year-old as their first choice. Bashir's route to Somerset's first XI is further complicated by the emergence of 19-year-old Archie Vaughan, who provides an all-round option with his off-breaks.
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
England's Bashir open to leaving Somerset
England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir is open to leaving Somerset when his contract expires at the end of the season in order to play more county 21-year-old is first-choice spinner for Ben Stokes' Test team but behind left-armer Jack Leach in the pecking order at had three County Championship matches on loan at Glamorgan earlier this season and one match for Worcestershire in is now free to speak to other counties as, from 1 June each year, players with expiring contracts are permitted to negotiate with other external have named Surrey, Warwickshire and Worcestershire as potential destinations. Bashir signed a two-year deal with Somerset in 2023, and was then picked for England's tour of India the following year after playing only six first-class a modest domestic record – Bashir's average in the County Championship is 84 – he has thrived for his country under Stokes' was man of the match in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe last month with career-best match figures of 9-143, which also included Bashir becoming the youngest England man to reach 50 Test he has replaced Leach as England's number one spinner, Somerset have kept faith with the 33-year-old as their first route to Somerset's first XI is further complicated by the emergence of 19-year-old Archie Vaughan, who provides an all-round option with his off-breaks.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Shoaib Bashir grabs six Zimbabwe wickets as England win Test in three days
There were periods of resistance, some eye-catching shots and supporters cheering them on from the stands. But Zimbabwe could not prevent the inevitable or even reach the fourth day. England, inspired by six wickets from Shoaib Bashir, wrapped up this one-off Test by an innings and 45 runs. Even factoring in lowly opposition who froze on day one and could only battle for respectability thereafter, nine wickets in the match added up to another chapter in Bashir's remarkable rise. After all, he was plugging away on loan for Glamorgan at the start of the summer and had just two victims to show for it. Related: Ben Stokes hits out at 'twisted agenda' over centurion Pope's status Things change when Bashir slips on an England shirt and pops up the collar like Eric Cantona back in the day. Assisted by a breeze and pumped full of weapons-grade confidence by Ben Stokes, the 21-year-old got the ball to drift and drop on Zimbabwe's batters in a manner that bodes well for the days ahead. India are up next and England need their spinner in form. It was needed, too. Tasked with backing up their efforts from the previous day, England's seamers struggled for impact a second time around. Sam Cook was struggling to summon up his county form on debut, while Gus Atkinson was clearly nursing a sore quad muscle and sent down three overs. Josh Tongue, though dutifully pounding in to deliver a short-ball plan for his captain, was not quite extracting the same bite as witnessed 24 hours earlier. They were also met by a second stirring pushback from Zimbabwe to follow Brian Bennett's whizz-bang century on day two. Following on and resuming on 30 for two, a fourth-wicket stand worth 122 runs from Sean Williams and Ben Curran – the former dashing, the latter digging in – was giving rise to thoughts of a wicketless morning. Only Stokes looked threatening among the quicks. But on the stroke of lunch an arm ball from Bashir beat a sweep by Williams on 88 and delivered a tight lbw. Curran slapped one straight to Stokes at cover after the restart to leave Zimbabwe 142 for four, 158 runs arrears, with only a dashing 60 from the experienced Sikandar Raza softening what followed. Bashir, as Stokes stressed after the win, is not the finished article. But he is a quick learner, as shown by his growing improvement to the right-handers. After unstitching the Zimbabwe lower order – the juiciest being another dipper that castled Tafadzwa Tsiga – those county struggles felt a distant memory. While Stokes was delighted for Bashir, he was simply in awe at the catch that produced his own wicket. Harry Brook was the fielder in question, producing a one-handed screamer above his head at second slip to remove Wesley Madhevere for 31. Having left Stuart Broad aghast on this ground with a similar stunner 10 years ago, Stokes was now the one wide-eyed. Related: Sean Williams seizes rare Test chance as Zimbabwe show love and pride in defeat | Andy Bull Beyond the niggle to Atkinson, and perhaps some concerns at Cook looking a bit toothless on day two, it added up to a pretty satisfactory outing for England. Most encouraging was probably Stokes sending down 11.2 overs without the body creaking. That he extracted good movement from a batter-friendly surface was an added bonus. While he would have liked some time in the middle, his top order cashed in on the first day with centuries for Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope. The subject of the latter's place was the captain's only gripe, insisting his suggestion of an instant return for Jacob Bethell before the match had been misinterpreted. After Pope's 171, even against a callow attack on a high-scoring ground, Bethell will surely have to wait his turn. As for Zimbabwe, it is not often a team swept aside by an innings is the one doing the lap of honour. But after waiting 22 years to play in England, and Bennett etching his name in history, they were well within their rights to thank their wonderful fans. It may not have been much of a contest out in the middle but this was still a significant Test match.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
County reserve is England's 'special talent' - Bashir tweaks pay off
It is an unprecedented situation. A spinner who cannot get in his county team - so much so he was sent out on loan last month - picking up wickets, and a man-of-the-match award, for England. Shoaib Bashir took six wickets on the third day of England's victory over Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, giving him nine in the match. In doing so he continued to repay the faith shown in him by captain Ben Stokes. "Too many people talk about his county record," former England captain Michael Vaughan said on the BBC's Today at the Test. "This is his team. "England got hold of him a couple of years ago and threw him into the set-up. "He has not got a great record in county cricket because he has not got a team. "Ben Stokes is his captain and whenever Ben Stokes is stood beside him he has very rarely let England down." Stokes revealed before the Test he had called Bashir to reassure him after a difficult start to the campaign. The off-spinner was plucked from relative obscurity to play India last year – he famously caught Stokes' eye through a clip on social media – and has been England's first-choice spinner since after taking 17 wickets in three matches. But the 21-year-old's county, Somerset, prefer the man he has replaced in the England XI – the more experienced left-spinner Jack Leach - and as a result Bashir was sent out on loan to Glamorgan, where he played three matches and took two wickets at an average of 152. "I went on loan to Glamorgan at the start of the season, just to get some overs under my belt," Bashir told BBC Test Match Special. "It was nice to join up with the England boys and bowl in front of an English crowd. "The boys and backroom staff make you feel 10-foot tall. When you are so well backed you can go and express yourself." Bashir's wickets in Nottingham took him to 58 in Tests and made him the youngest bowler to take 50 for England in the format. Even in the international arena, forgetting the selection decisions in Taunton, his progress has not been straightforward, however. His eight wickets in three Tests in New Zealand last year came at an average of 52, while in the first Test against Pakistan in Multan last year he returned figures of 1-156. But while Bashir can sometimes struggle to control his lengths, too often gifting loose deliveries, England value his raw attributes - in particular his height and subsequent bounce, plus his ability to bowl wicket-taking deliveries. "The skill is undoubted," Stokes said after the Zimbabwe win. "With Bash it was about giving him the belief that we back him. He's going from strength to strength. "Now, dealing with the confidence side, knowing he's backed by me, Baz and the rest of the dressing room, it's about building on that and trying to make him as good as he possibly can be. "We know we've got a very, very special talent in Bash." In the aftermath in Nottingham, Stokes praised Bashir for speaking about wanting to remain patient on the field during the win. "That is something he's definitely got a lot better at," Stokes said. "The big progression with him has been building towards a dismissal and not getting too giddy – that was the word he used out there. "He's always in the battle. He loves it when guys come after him, because he then feels like he's got to think a little bit more." There were also small technical tweaks against Zimbabwe, too. He moved around 5cm closer to the stumps when bowling over the wicket and 8cm closer when bowling round the wicket compared to previous home Tests. As a result, the number of deliveries travelling down the leg side in this Test dropped from 32% to 17%. This match was also the fullest he has bowled in any home Test - a key skill for an off-spinner in allowing them to drag a batter onto the front foot. Previously he bowled 26% of his deliveries in the full region but that jumped to 41% against Zimbabwe. "It's scary to think about the start of his career considering what he had experience-wise before he made his Test debut," Stokes added. "It's impossible for him not to get even better than what he is now. "The guys that we've got working with him, with all the technical stuff with Jeets [England spin bowling coach Jeetan Patel]. "I know it's an odd story to look at. I can understand why some people find it hard to believe. "If he keeps putting in performances like he has done this week, and continues in the way his career has gone, hopefully one day it will properly make sense to everyone why we pick him." Get cricket news sent straight to your phone
