(Source X)
Ben Stokes, England’s Test captain, showered praise on young spinner Shoaib Bashir following the 20-year-old’s impressive five-wicket haul in the second innings of the England vs. West Indies second Test in Nottingham on Sunday, July 21st.
Bashir, who debuted earlier this year against India in Visakhapatnam, showcased his talent with figures of 5 for 41 in 11.1 overs during the second innings, contributing significantly to England’s victory by 241 runs.
Stokes was clearly impressed by Bashir’s performance, highlighting the youngster’s incredible determination to improve. He emphasized that Bashir’s display in the Nottingham Test has demonstrated his capabilities to the world.
“He has got so much talent, and he’s got an unbelievable desire to get better,” Stokes said of Bashir. “His intent is to always take wickets and never just to hold an end up. It’s really good for a young guy to put in a performance that wins England a Test. He was pretty emotional at the end. It’s a pretty cool day for him. He has shown the world what he can do.”
On Sunday, Bashir achieved a rare feat by claiming a five-wicket haul, becoming the first spinner since Muttiah Muralitharan in 2006 to accomplish this in a Test match at Trent Bridge. Additionally, as a right-arm offbreak bowler, he etched his name in history as the first English spinner under 21 years of age to achieve a five-wicket haul in a Test match on home turf.
“The decisions we make are all based around not only how far we think talent can take a player, but if we think they’re good enough for international cricket straight away,” Stokes said after Bashir’s efforts in Trent Bridge after not getting a bowl at Lord’s.
“Bash showed what he could do in India with conditions in his favour, but the pitch this week didn’t really offer much for spin, and he has taken seven wickets in the match. The ability he had to be able to change his pace, change his line, and manipulate how he wanted the ball to react out of the surface was top-class. I don’t want to sound like it’s an ‘I told you so’ kind of thing, but it sort of is.”
