Shoaib Bashir’s rock-solid marathon stint shows he’s here to stay

There's a story about Shoaib Bashir's stint in Australian cricket during the winter of 2022-23 that his Somerset teammates love to tell to embarrass him.

Bashir played in Sydney, for the Linfield District Cricket Club, sharing accommodation with teammates of the same age. One day he was feeling generous and offered to cook for the group, which, as you can imagine, was greeted gratefully by a mix of late teens and youths of a twenty years.

It didn't take long for Bashir to regret this offer. At dinner time, his roommates were greeted by an exasperated Bashir, furious that the pasta he had on the stove for nearly half an hour was nowhere near ready. The others shared his puzzlement until they quickly spotted the problem. He hadn't added any water.

We've all been there; 19 years old, first time away from home, trying to do adult things, failing miserably, being made fun of by your friends, never letting go. To be fair, it's only been a year, so there will be more juice to be had from this anecdote.

But Bashir need not worry. To start, he asks the team leader here in India to sort through all the al dente rigatoni and fusilli he could dream of. And despite the lack of cooking skills, he cooked in Ranchi.

In his second appearance in Test cricket, the rookie off-spinner relied on Joe Root's unbeaten 122 to tilt this fourth Test further in England's favor. With four wickets – so far, at 84 – Bashir has new career records in first-class cricket. It was a period that saw the tourists move closer to a 2-2 series, with India ending Saturday still trailing by 134 in the first innings.

And besides, it really was a spell. A mammoth 31 overs were delivered non-stop from the Amitabh Choudhary Pavilion End. The biggest bounce since Graeme Swann's 32 overs at Headingley against New Zealand in May 2013.

Before lunch, a young girl gave him a taste, before moving straight to the tea, then coming out the other side and deep into the third session. He was eventually bowled out with three overs remaining, only to reappear at the Media Box End to play the penultimate set of six. In a career that is only eight red-ball appearances old, he has, in one day, bowled more overs than in the previous three matches.

The 53 overs on debut in Visakhapatnam ranks second in this growing list, which included 28 overs on the first day. He grafted 4 for 196 in the match and has already doubled that total. How about this for exponential shine?

England have learned a lot from this outing about their consistency and durability, which is why Ben Stokes had no qualms in pushing them through today's marathon. For the most part, there were no offside players between first slip and extra cover from the right-handers, with the leg side dotted around in an odd catch-and-save single position.

He relied on Bashir to maintain a straight line of attack. He did this like someone who had taken 67 County Championship wickets at an average of 10, not the other way around. A cramp in his 24th over, a chase to stop the ball after James Anderson's throw ricocheted off the stumps, and the occasional drop of his right arm while throwing were the only signs of fatigue. The spirit, everywhere, was solid as rock.

Naturally, by sticking so diligently to an off-stump channel, the layoffs came. Shubman Gill was stuck in front (just) with a drift putting the #3's front foot short of enough turn to hit the pads. That ended a stand of 82 between Gill and prodigy Yashasvi Jaiswal that gave England fears that their 353 might not be enough.

It was only the second dismissal of Bashir's professional career, having caught Nottinghamshire's Joe Clarke in this fashion last summer. Leg-forward number three came quickly, as Rajat Patidar misjudged the length, perhaps because of the dip, returning to a ball he should have advanced towards, and then carrying a low-bounce delivery to mid-off of his tibia.

Ravindra Jadeja, after dispatching Tom Hartley for consecutive sixes, was soon on his way, racing towards a delivery around the wicket that bounced more than expected and found bat. Ollie Pope caught short leg. At this point, Bashir was in a difficult situation; these three dismissals occurred in a span of 41 balls for the concession of just five runs.

Sarfaraz Khan joining Jaiswal was the most auspicious moment for the Indian counter-attack. A double from Jaiswal in Bashir's 18th over – the first well past first slip – doubled the number of boundaries conceded in his previous 17. Jaiswal clipped him for another boundary before the six-foot-four action found a place without enough bounce to force the left-hander to drive the ball into the ground and bring it back to his middle stump. It was Jaiswal's first fake shot played against Bashir off the back foot.

Bashir's evolution over the last month alone has been something to savor for a group that, by and large, didn't know much about him. That is, beyond the clip of him doing Alastair Cook repeatedly on his first-class debut, which Stokes shared with Rob Key and Brendon McCullum.

He impressed the Lions, earning a full call-up on attributes rather than stats. Respect from his peers came during the pre-tour training camp in Abu Dhabi. Beyond the undoubted skill and control he could achieve on the ball with his long fingers, there was a growing admiration for his tenacity and character.

“The way he plays is a good indication of his character and personality,” Root said on Saturday night. “He's cheeky, he's funny. He's a great guy to have in the dressing room and I really enjoy his company.”

Perhaps the best example of all these traits is contained in the visa problems England encountered during this tour.

Bashir, of Pakistani origin, was unable to travel with the team on the Sunday before the first Test in Hyderabad due to a delay in receiving his documents. After spending a few days in the United Arab Emirates, he returned to London, where his British passport was issued, to obtain the necessary final stamp. He finally rejoined his teammates a week later, receiving a hero's welcome as he entered the away dressing room at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on the morning of matchday four and stuck around to see them lead 1-0 in the series.

Bashir took the rigmarole in his stride – “It was a bit complicated, but I'm here now,” he beamed after his first day as a Test cricketer – training hard and mixing it up again with the team as if nothing had happened. When Rehan Ahmed first found out that he would not be allowed to return to India at Rajkot airport after the mid-series break in Abu Dhabi because he only held a single entry visa, Bashir eased the tension with a quick-witted response: “Ah well, have a nice trip back to London, mate!” » A few hours later, Rehan joined his tour buddy at the team hotel.

It's testament to the environment within the team that someone so young can feel so comfortable on such a high-profile, high-pressure tour. Likewise for Rehan, who played the first three Tests before having to return home for an urgent family matter, and Hartley, who, with two dismissals on the second day, is now the series' leading wicket-taker with 18, a in front of Jasprit. Bumrah who was rested for this match. Considering Stokes' go-to spinner Jack Leach had to return home after playing just the opening Test due to a left knee injury that has now required surgery, the trio stepped up and demonstrates maturity and us beyond their years.

“I think it’s the environment Ben created,” Root said. “Shane Warne used to say 'so what' if you're hit for six – you've got another chance, you've got another opportunity and if you take a wicket the game is very different. And that's something that Ben has introduced into the way we approach things on the ground.

“It’s great to see these young guys reacting so positively and putting in great performances in foreign conditions against some of the best spin players in the world.”

Beyond the feel that Stokes has for people, there is his tactical acumen, which was demonstrated again today. Root cites Hartley's dismissal of Sarfaraz Khan as a perfect example of this.

“Randomly, after two balls (in the 52nd over), he throws deep cover – then he (Sarfaraz) tries to hit it there for one, gets a nick, is caught first,” said Root, who completed the dismissal by diving to his left, said. “Good catch too.”

After being released by Surrey at age group level and returning to the 18-county system via national county cricket with Berkshire and Guildford Cricket Club, Bashir's story is as inspiring as it is rare.

Of course, there was a bit of luck involved. What if Stokes hadn't been idly scrolling through social media on the afternoon of June 11, 2023?

“Imagine being 15 or 16 years old, a young spinner and hearing Bashir’s story?” » Root said. “It shows how close you can actually be, how you have to keep dreaming and chasing that, keep giving yourself the best chance to work on your game. Because you never know where you might end up.”

Right now, a new chapter is being written in a story of perseverance and belonging. From a 20-year-old putting England on the path to a well-deserved Test victory to keep this series against India alive.