A lot of eyeballs were directed towards Shoaib Bashir after England picked the uncapped spinner in their Test squad for the five-match series against India. The England Test team would hope to make an impact against India with quality spin bowlers in their ranks, who would make use of the turners and pose questions for the opposition and Bashir was named in the team as part of the spin quartet, which also involves Tom Hartley, Rehan Ahmed and Jack Leach. The 20-year-old has not played a lot of First-Class games in England and his inclusion turned out to be a topic of discussion. But the England team management has put a lot of faith in the youngster and it remains to be seen how he performs in the tour of India. Uncapped England Spinner Shoaib Bashir Ruled Out of IND vs ENG 1st Test 2024 As He Flies Back to UK To Resolve Visa Issues.

Bashir who represents Somerset in First-Class cricket, is a tall spinner and his height can be of advantage on tracks that assist a lot of spin. However, things took a turn for the worse when he was ruled out of England's squad for the first Test against India in Hyderabad after the youngster had to fly back home to the UK to sort out some issues with his visa. This incident has left captain Ben Stokes frustrated as it has hampered England's preparation for the first Test. So who is Shoaib Bashir? Let us check out some facts about him. India vs England 2024 Schedule: Get IND vs ENG Test Series Fixtures, Time Table With Match Timings in IST, Squads and Venue Details.

Shoaib Bashir Quick Facts:

  • Shoaib Bashir was on October 12, 2003, in Surrey. Although he was born in England, he has his roots in Pakistan.

  • Bashir is a right-arm off-spinner, who bats lower down the order.

  • He played for Surrey in age-group cricket. At 17, he was released by the county and subsequently represented Middlesex and Berkshire.

  • It was when he was playing at the U18 level for Berkshire that his performance caught the attention of Somerset.

  • He went on to feature in two of Somerset's 2nd XI championship matches where he also took a five-wicket in one of them.

  • Bashir has played just six matches in First-Class cricket where he picked up 10 wickets, his best figures being 6/155.

  • A tall bowler, Bashir's release point can pose threat to the batsmen on rank turners.

  • He impressed on England's preparatory camp for the India tour in UAE where he took six wickets in a match against Afghanistan A.

Bashir was one of the players to have watched out for but he is set to miss the India vs England 1st Test in Hyderabad, a match where he was expected to make his debut. The England cricket team would hope that the youngster's visa issues are sorted and he links up with the rest of the squad.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 24, 2024 10:56 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).