How Ben Stokes Spotted Shoaib Bashir's Raw Talent

image-ls4hwfz5England's Shoaib Bashir [x.com]

The 20-year-old Shoaib Bashir made his international debut for England in the second Test against India, catching the cricketing world by surprise. What's even more intriguing is how England's captain, Ben Stokes, spotted Bashir's raw talent and paved the way for his inclusion in the national team.

Bashir's journey to the international stage began just a few months ago with his first-class debut for Somerset in the English County Championship. Despite a modest start with only one wicket in his debut match against Essex, it was a particular over that caught the attention of none other than Ben Stokes. Facing the legendary Alastair Cook, Bashir's unorthodox off-spin delivery left the experienced batter deceived, beaten not once but twice.

It was the Somerset Cricket's social media account that played a crucial role in showcasing Bashir's talent. The account posted a video of the young off-spinner's impressive over against Cook, capturing the attention of Stokes. Recognising the potential in Bashir, Stokes wasted no time in sharing the clip with a WhatsApp group that included head coach Brendon McCullum and ECB managing director Rob Key.


Despite Cook's subsequent stellar performance, scoring 128 runs, those two deliveries faced off Bashir were enough for Stokes to see the promise in the young spinner. Stokes, known for his unconventional approach to talent scouting, relies more on instinct and visual impact than traditional statistics.

Reflecting on the discovery, Stokes stated, 

"To be perfectly honest, Abu Dhabi was the first real live look I got at Bash. The first time I saw him was on Twitter. I think the County Championship [account] put a little clip together of him bowling against Sir Alastair."

He further said:

"I'm in a WhatsApp group with Keysy and Baz. I actually did forward the clip on 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. He got selected on the Lions tour and obviously, the coaches on that tour fed back everything to us." 

Selected for the Lions tour, Bashir continued to impress, and the coaching staff's feedback solidified his place in the national team. 

However, Bashir was ruled out of the first Test against India in Hyderabad after his visa wasn’t granted in time. Due to Bashir’s cultural background, he was required to get his visa stamped in person at the Indian High Commission in London.

Speaking of his debut, he outfoxed India's captain, Rohit Sharma, and India's all-rounder, Axar Patel, on day 1 of the second Test match.