In England’s 241-run win here yesterday, 20-year-old Shoaib Bashir became the youngest-ever player from these shores to take a five-wicket haul on home soil, something that Stokes insisted was not an “I-told-you-so” moment, after he plucked Bashir from obscurity last summer off the back of a social media video, until he conceded with a smile that, “it sort of [also] is”.
Much has been made of Bashir’s high release-point. At 6ft 4ins, the theory went that he had been selected for the India Test series earlier this year through data and science. How else could a 20-year-old with only six first-class appearances to his name be picked? But then the truth emerged. Stokes had seen a clip online of Bashir bowling on his first-class debut to Alastair Cook, and liked what he saw.
“I’m in a WhatsApp group with Keysy [Rob Key] and Baz [Brendon McCullum],” Stokes said in February. “I forwarded the clip and said, ‘Have a look at this, this could be something we could work with on our India tour’ and it just progressed from there.” Bashir, who is second-choice at his county Somerset, where former England spinner Jack Leach is picked ahead of him, has taken three five-wicket hauls in his first five Tests for England — the same number that Andrew Flintoff managed across his career.
This story is from the July 22, 2024 edition of Evening Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July 22, 2024 edition of Evening Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
ARTETA GETS NEW DEAL WITH GUNNERS
MANAGER COMMITS FUTURE TO CLUB UNTIL 2027
Opportunity knocks for Spurs amid rivals' crisis
Injury-hit Gunners facing a tough test as Postecoglou aims to reverse recent trend
Pressure is on misfiring Muniz and Antonio to spark campaigns into life
WHEN Andreas Pereira and Willian presented Rodrigo Muniz with the Premier League player of the month award for March, the striker’s tears of joy spoke of his own surprise at how drastically his fortunes had changed.
Madueke's England challenge boosts the Blues
CHELSEA’S Cobham training ground may be the most densely-populated patch of land across the entire home counties, but head down there this week and it ought not to take much to pick out Noni Madueke.
John Lewis cuts first-half losses after turnaround
THE boss of John Lewis today said he was confident of “positive” Christmas trading and “significantly higher profits” for the year as Britain’s leading partnership recovers from the worst crisis in its history.
Fever-Tree falls foul of the bad weather
FEVER-TREE seemed to be running out of fizz today as poor weather and a “subdued” consumer backdrop hit sales.
Why won't anybody take my novel of unrelenting male misery? I blame men
WHY don’t men read? Oh, I know dear male Standard readers do, those urbane, literary, poised and secretly perverted doyens of good taste. But those other men, they are not reading fiction.
The NHS needs more than long-term reform
THE NHS has become such a bleak topic of discussion in recent years that it is almost impossible to imagine it being fixed. Lord Darzi’s report paints a picture of an organisation grappling with several crises: in primary care, hospitals and the treatment of longterm illness. Its findings make for grim reading.
Ultrasound gives sickle cell teen new freedom
A TEENAGER with sickle cell disease has had her life transformed thanks to a pioneering ultrasound procedure performed by London doctors.
'Now let's get justice for the subpostmasters'
Mr Bates star Toby Jones makes a plea as he collects his gong at I'V awards