England will have to finish their keenly-poised Test series against India without Shoaib Bashir after scans confirmed a fracture to the little finger on his left hand. The 22-year-old off-spinner is due to undergo surgery later this week and will miss the fourth Test at Old Trafford on 23 July and the finale at The Oval.
The setback comes two days after Bashir claimed the decisive wicket in England’s 22-run win at Lord’s, a result that nudged the hosts 2-1 ahead with two to play. He had damaged the finger on day three when a fierce drive from Ravindra Jadeja smashed into his non-bowling hand as he tried a return catch.
“It’s not good news for Bash,” Ben Stokes admitted afterwards. “Very disappointing for us as a team and for him, a big shame.”
The England captain’s mood summed up the double-edged nature of the moment. Bashir had carried the injury through the closing stages – batting for nine balls in the second innings and then returning with ball in hand despite a splinted glove. Those three overs either side of tea were awkward, his left hand dangling out of harm’s way in the field. Yet they set up the finish.
With India nine down and edging closer to the 193-run target, Stokes threw Bashir the ball again. Two-and-a-half overs later came the end: a teasing off-break, Mohammed Siraj pressed back, the ball trickled off the bat onto the stumps, one bail tumbling. Stokes told BBC Test Match Special the moment felt “written in the stars”.
Afterwards he expanded. “What an amazing feeling for him to be able to take that wicket there and with his hand in the state that it’s in, amazing,” the captain said. “Very proud of the way that he went about the rest of the week after having to come off the field. There would be a lot of people who might not necessarily have been brave enough to go out there and face Bumrah and then also put himself up for wanting to get out there and bowl and help his team.”
Medical staff have since confirmed the fracture and advised immediate surgery. England will name a replacement in the next couple of days, with the selectors leaning towards a like-for-like slow-bowling option. Liam Dawson, fresh from 4 for 20 on his T20 return in the Caribbean last month, and Jack Leach, who has recovered from the back stress-reaction that kept him out of the first three Tests, are the obvious names on the whiteboard. Rehan Ahmed’s leg-spin remains another, if more attacking, route.
The balance of the XI is likely to dictate the choice. Dawson offers left-arm spin, useful lower-order runs and out-swing with the new ball, traits that Stokes values. Leach’s control and familiarity with the captain’s methods weigh heavily, even if match fitness is a lingering question. Ahmed would provide wrist-spin, but England may feel one experiment at a time is plenty with the series on the line.
For Bashir, the timing is cruel. He has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign, impressing in India during the spring and now sealing a Lord’s victory in only his sixth cap. The rehabilitation period is expected to stretch beyond six weeks, putting his availability for the late-summer white-ball fixtures in doubt but giving him a chance of being ready for September’s tour of Pakistan.
England, meanwhile, regroup in Manchester next week trying to seal the series without one of their emerging stories of the summer. Stokes, never shy of a selection gamble, must decide whether control or unpredictability is the better weapon against an India side still threatening to level things up. What is certain is that Bashir’s will-to-help will be missed – splint, strapping and all.
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