Bashir leaves the Kiwis in real spin
Manchester Evening News|November 29, 2024
SHOAIB Bashir is still on the job" as a Test spinner but believes the support of Ben Stokes is helping unlock his full potential.
RORY DOLLARD
Bashir leaves the Kiwis in real spin

Bashir was an unlikely leading man on day one of England's series opener in New Zealand, claiming four wickets for 69 runs on a Christchurch pitch that is so inhospitable to slow bowlers that the home side went in without a frontline spinner.

The 21-year-old looked set for a marginal role at Hagley Oval, a venue where no spinner has ever taken a five-wicket haul, but proved to be the tourists' trump card as they held the Black Caps to 319 for eight.

A virtual unknown at the start of the year, Bashir has has been fast-tracked as England's first-choice ahead of the the more experienced Jack Leach, with Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum embracing his potential rather than fretting over his imperfections.

Not for the first time, their instincts paid off, with his haul counteracting a fine 93 from returning Kiwi batter Kane Williamson.

This story is from the November 29, 2024 edition of Manchester Evening News.

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This story is from the November 29, 2024 edition of Manchester Evening News.

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