The Young Spinner Makes Unexpected Selection in English Test Series Team
The English team has chosen a twelve-player squad just two days ahead of the first Ashes Test, with Shoaib Bashir earning a surprise spot.
Bashir's inclusion suggests that the visiting team will wait until the morning of the initial match to decide whether Perth Stadium conditions suit four seamers or the addition of a spinner.
Jofra Archer and Mark Wood are part of the 12-man group, indicating there are no doubts about either pace bowler’s condition.
Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse round out the bowling group, with the latter most likely to be omitted if Bashir enters the starting XI.
Pitch Factors Lean Toward Seamers
The England coach had been anticipated to opt for an pace-only lineup on a venue that has hosted five past matches.
In those matches, 134 wickets have been taken by seamers, with only 40 to spin bowling.
Of those spin dismissals, Australia’s Nathan Lyon has taken 29, while overseas slow bowlers together have just a handful.
On a ground known for its speed and carry, and whose groundsman, Isaac McDonald, stated that these traits are “permanent and not going to change,” a team loaded with seamers is still the probable choice.
Spin Options Weighed
Previously there was speculation that the all-rounder could be parachuted into the team to provide some spin while additionally bolstering the lower order.
However McCullum has chosen to keep faith with Bashir, having said earlier this year that he would be his first-choice slow bowler for the series.
Earlier, Nathan Lyon described Bashir as “decent,” saying that “in my eyes, the experienced spinner 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 said of spin bowling in matches Down Under.
“I’m not going to reveal my strategies so opponents come out and excel out here.”
English Selected Team for First Ashes Test
- Ben Stokes (c)
- Jofra Archer
- Gus Atkinson
- Shoaib Bashir
- Harry Brook
- Brydon Carse
- The Opener
- Ben Duckett
- The Middle-Order
- The Veteran
- Jamie Smith (wk)
- Mark Wood
