From Sydney’s suburbs to Lord’s, the incredbile rise of England spinner Shoaib Bashir

Shoaib Bashir went from Sydney Shires team Lindfield to playing 15 Tests for England and taking more Test wickets than any other spinner in the world. ROBERT CRADDOCK uncovers how he came from nowhere to be thrust onto the world stage.

Shoaib Bashir surged from Lindfield in Sydney to Lord’s of London with the click of his fingers ... but his greatest challenge is yet to come.

Two years ago the 21-year-old England off-spinner was playing for Lindfield in the Sydney Shires competition but last year he played 15 Tests for England and took 49 wickets, more than any other spinner in the world.

They didn’t come cheap (40 apiece) but for a young spinner learning his craft it was satisfying progress and an intoxicating ride.

Bashir has been bowling in Brisbane over the past few days at Ian Healy Oval, playing for the English Lions against an Australian XI.

England player Shoaib Bashir looks o during England practice ahead of the 2nd Test Match at ACA-VDCA Stadium on January 31, 2024 in Visakhapatnam, India. Picture: Getty Images)

In the first innings he copped bit of heat but the locals were more restrained against him in the second innings and he picked up the wicket of opening batsman Jayden Goodwin lbw.

His rise came out of the blue after English captain Ben Stokes saw social media footage of Bashir bowling to Test great Alastair Cook on debut for Somerset against Essex.

The bounce he generated from his tall frame caught Stokes’ eye.

He sent the footage to England coach Brendon McCullum with the message, “Have a look at this. This could be something we could work with on our India tour”.

It was not as if he was a junior wonder boy but English Lions assistant coach Graeme Swann, one of England’s finest off-spinners, says this was almost a bonus.

“He’s such a beautiful, almost naive kid, because he’s not come through the regular channels,” Swann said of Bashir.

England bowler Shoaib Bashir during a Test match against Pakistan. Picture: Getty Images

“It was not as if he went through the academies, then straight into second team cricket then the first team. He hasn’t had a smooth transition.

“He’s had to go out and look for opportunities and get out and do it himself, which makes him resilient.

“A lot of kids these days, because of the academy systems and having everything handed to them on the plate, they’re not as resilient as previous generations, but I think he’s slightly different to that. He’s almost learning on the job.

“But Nathan Lyon had only played a few first class games before he started.”

Bashir will return with Stokes’ Ashes squad later this year where the challenge that awaits him will be massive. Few overseas finger spinners have threatened Australia in Australia so Swann says the expectations of Bashir have to be realistic.

England bowler Shoaib Bashir celebrates his first test wicket, that of Rohit Sharma during da Test agaist India in February, 2024. Picture: Getty Images

“Australia has (to be) probably the hardest place to bowl spin in the world. Unless you are the great Shane Warne, you need to play much more of a supporting role over here,” he said.

“England realise that and that’s what they have been really trying to do. To put a battery of fast bowlers to rival or outmatch your strength and then have a good spinner.

“When the English play over here we are not used to what everything in Australia throws at you so the spinner has to help take the weight off their shoulders. That might mean bowling 30 overs in a day.

“The wickets seldom break up over here any more. Even Sydney does not really break up and be the spinners’ paradise it used to be over the last few days. So you don’t get to be the match-winner you might be in India or in England.”

Originally published as From Sydney’s suburbs to Lord’s, the incredbile rise of England spinner Shoaib Bashir