THROW them in at the deep end. Why not?

The selection of Shoaib Bashir for the India tour last winter was at best leftfield, and at worst a desperate and damning indictment on England’s spin bowling resources. The call-up came almost ten years to the day after the retirement of Graeme Swann. From December 2013 to December 2023, England used ten spinners: Scott Borthwick, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Zafar Ansari, Liam Dawson, Mason Crane, Jack Leach, Dom Bess, Will Jacks, and Rehan Ahmed. Of the above, only Ali and Leach can be considered successes. Borthwick has become a solid middle order batter at county level, Crane and Bess failed to fulfil their promise, Jacks and Ansari were always batters who bowled – the latter no longer plays cricket at all, Rashid is considered a white-ball specialist, Ahmed is only twenty himself, and Dawson - well, we'll come to that.

The successes of Ali and Leach are relative to the failure of the others. They were able to hold up an end on green tops and deliver wickets on rank turners. Rarely have they turned (sorry) a game through their raw talent alone. They average 37 and 34 respectively, compared to Swann’s 30. It is easy to see why England are crying out for a world-class spinner. Have they now found their man?

While on the surface it may seem that England have thrown a young man headfirst into a fierce test arena, the reality is a little more nuanced. First, expectations were, and continue to be, relatively low. Bashir’s inexperience at first-class level and his youth means that both the selectors and the media are likely to go a little easier on him than they would an experienced pro. Furthermore, his predecessors have failed to set the world alight leaving England in a situation where they have little to lose by blooding a youngster.

Secondly, the environment created by the leadership of Stokes and McCullum seems a wonderful place to be. Their ability to relieve the pressure on the young man’s shoulders when the going gets tough has already proved invaluable. Bad days happen – you get up the next day and try again. 

Finally, there is no better way of learning how to play test cricket than by playing test cricket. The experience Bashir has already gained in his short career – and through the India tour in particular - will stand him in enormously good stead going forward. 

The sad backdrop to this situation is the lack of faith that Rob Key and his selectors are putting in county cricket. Liam Dawson in particular can consider himself unlucky after two seasons in the top echelons of division one’s bowling leaderboards. That’s not to mention his performance with the bat. What message does it send to county cricketers when the best players are not rewarded with England honours? It must be demotivating for Dawson and others, although the cash earned in the winter T20 leagues may soften the blow somewhat.

Bashir’s 4-for overnight in Christchurch came in conditions that weren’t ideal for spin, which goes to show that the young man has already come on leaps and bounds. It wasn’t a spectacular performance – on another day he may have only taken one or two wickets – but that’s cricket. Who would bet against him taking his fifth this evening? England have identified Bashir as the man that can lead their spin attack for the next fifteen years. I was sceptical at first, but I am now on board.

To complete the metaphor, England have thrown Bashir in at the deep end, but they’ve given him a life jacket, a suite of floats, and a full SCUBA kit. Nothing to worry about, then. He’ll swim for years.

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By Leon Parrott