England spinner Shoaib Bashir remains unmoved by Australian great Nathan Lyon’s claim that England is overlooking their best spinner, Jack Leach, which might cost the English team big time in the Ashes 2025-26.
England have made their choices clear, as they have cited Shoaib Bashir as the lead spinner for them in the upcoming Ashes against Australia. Bashir is likely to get his first experience of Ashes Cricket, the biggest red-ball rivalry between the two world-class Test teams.
The battle is often marked by several heated moments and untidy exchanges between the players. While anticipating it, Shoaib Bashir has voiced his support for keeping things cool, but resorting to backing his team and fellow teammates if it gets heated.
Shoaib Bashir remains unmoved by Lyon’s ignorance ahead of Ashes debut
When Nathan Lyon was asked about England spinners posing a threat on Australian soil, he seemed a bit disappointed with England not giving their best spinner a chance. As per Lyon, Jack Leach still remains way better than Shoaib Bashir, who is most likely to play for England.
Currently, Shoaib Bashir has undergone surgery on the little finger of his left hand and was unmoved by the jibe as he told the PA news agency, “Everyone has their own opinions, and that’s fine.
“I just stick to what I believe and what the people around me believe. I don’t really look at that stuff.”
However, despite Lyon’s strong denial of Bashir’s effectiveness on the Australian soil, the 21-year-old spinner compliments Lyon as one of those players he has grown to see playing.
“I do enjoy the way he bowls, especially his overspin, it’s a great asset he has, and the amount of revs he puts on the ball. He’s someone I’ve been looking at for a while now,” Bashir added.
Bashir reveals Ashes’ strategy ahead of the 5-match series
After a failed tour with England Lions on the Australian tour, Shoaib Bashir worked on improving under the guidance of England legend Graeme Swann. Bashir might have strategised to use the extra bounce offered by the Australian pitches.
“I learned you do get bounce but you’ve got to find a way to use that,” Bashir said of his time in Australia.
“I’ve got height but there’s more than just height to extract bounce from the wicket. Just small technical things.
“It’s just (about) nailing what I do best. If you look at my attributes – I’m tall and try to put as many revs on the ball as I can, with that comes variations.
“I’m still learning, still quite young, I’m still trying develop my game and better myself day-by-day. That will never stop. I love talking about the game and I love learning.”
Nathan Lyon hails Jack Leach as England’s current most competent spinner
Nathan Lyon has extensive experience in the game of cricket, as the 37-year-old is the second-highest wicket-taker as a spinner for Australia, and he is just 2 wickets away from surpassing Glenn McGrath to be the second-highest Test wicket-taker for Australia.
Lyon has played in 139 international matches, picking 562 wickets for Australia, and a player of his calibre suggests Jack Leach as England’s best spinner. He has also predicted that the visitors will face a massive challenge without Leach in the side.
Leach, who played for England in the Pakistan series last year, has not featured for England any further, but has a comparatively better role with the bat as compared to Bashir. The 34-year-old has 162 Test wickets and 500+ First-Class wickets, making him quite a significant name.