• Bashir to make England Test debut

    Published on

    Spinner Shoaib Bashir will make his Test debut for England in the second match against India, after an injury to Jack Leach.

    The tourists lead the five-match series 1-0 ahead, with the second Test starting on Friday in Visakhapatnam.

    Bashir made a late entry into India after a visa delay – the latest cricketer of Pakistani descent to have such troubles in India – and missed the opener that England won by 28 runs.

    Leach, a left-arm spinner, injured his knee while fielding in the first Test and was forced out with a haematoma.

    Bashir will join fellow spinners Rehan Ahmed, Joe Root and Tom Hartley, the latter of whom starred in the opening win with figures of 7-62 in his Test debut.

    Senior pace bowler James Anderson returns to the team as the lone quick, replacing Mark Wood.

    England XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes, Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson.

    © Agence France-Presse

    Photo: Stu Forster/Getty Images

    Post by

    Simon Borchardt