England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir shrugged off the comment made by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon on him and said he is unfazed by Lyon’s assessment of him and still remains a big admirer of the Aussie veteran.
Lyon stated that Jack Leach is still England’s best spinner and took a jibe at Bashir, saying he just “has been okay”.
“Everyone has their own opinions and that’s fine. I just stick to what I believe and what the people around me believe. I don’t really look at that stuff,” said Bashir to the PA news agency. The 21-year-old from Somerset is currently recovering from surgery on the little finger of his left hand due to an injury he suffered during the recently concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against India.
Enjoy Lyon’s bowling
Bashir said he has enjoyed Lyon’s bowling: “I’ve never crossed paths with him but I have been watching him since I was young. I do enjoy the way he bowls, especially his overspin, it’s a great asset he has, and the amount of revs he puts on the ball. He’s someone I’ve been looking at for a while now.”
With 562 wickets in 139 Tests, Lyon has been one of the finest spinners not only for Australia but for this generation. He will also lead the spin attack at the highly anticipated Ashes against England, set to happen later this year.
Better prepared
Bashir is yet to play a Test in Australia but has experience of playing in Down Under as he played five matches for England Lions in 2024 where he managed just four wickets. However, having worked under Graeme Swann there, Bashir feels better prepared for the experience.
“I learned you do get bounce but you’ve got to find a way to use that,” Bashir said of his time in Australia. “I’ve got height but there’s more than just height to extract bounce from the wicket. Just small technical things. It’s just (about) nailing what I do best. If you look at my attributes – I’m tall and try to put as many revs on the ball as I can, with that comes variations. I’m still learning, still quite young, I’m still trying develop my game and better myself day-by-day. That will never stop. I love talking about the game and I love learning,” he added.
