The Cricket Drop ๐ #14 - Spin the wheel
Should England take Shoaib Bashir out of the firing line?
Good morning, cricket fans. Hereโs your Cricket Drop (edition number 14) on Wednesday, July 9, 2025.
Todayโs headlines
๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ At what point do England take Shoaib Bashir out of the firing line?
โ๐ป Simon Hughes wrote in The Times this week:
A finger spinner who canโt bat is a luxury in the modern game โ and especially when they are as expensive as Englandโs No11. It may be time to look elsewhere.
The days of a specialist fingerspinner who is a batting rabbit - think Phil Tufnell, Monty Panesar - are almost done, he argues. In todayโs bat-dominated games, England cannot accommodate passengers, he adds.
Bashir is young, inexperienced - the youngest England bowler to 50 wickets, I hasten to add - but there have been elements that have been good in his Test career thus far. Heโs getting better - and it doesnโt help him bowling on first day pitches given Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullumโs penchant for the chase.
If England wanted a finished article, somebody who could hold a bat down at eight and reliably take wickets, then Liam Dawson would have 50 caps by now. That hasnโt happened.
On the Jacob Bethell question, itโs probably worth saying that replacing Bashir with a part-time spinner who is a top-order batsman is probably not the wisest thing to do. But the devilโs advocate in me would argue that on the kind of turgid surfaces produced at Edgbaston โ which offered nothing for spin, aside from the rogue Joe Root delivery that dismissed Washington Sundar โ the Bethell-Root combination could do just as good a job as Bashir, while also adding more runs to the team.
For all their faults, Stokes and McCullum have nailed their colours to the mast with Bashir. He didnโt bowl badly at Edgbaston - and he has to bowl to ensure Englandโs pace attack (who are seemingly made out of fortune cookies) stayed fresh. Stokes and Baz are stubborn - but loyal, too. They picked him primarily to have an impact in Australia, with his long levers and imposing height. But Nathan Lyon, in the last Test series in Australia, took nine wickets at 40 across the series. So: the impact of spin in Australia is diminishing.
In truth, there are no easy answers. You obviously need to take a spinner in Australia - though Tim Wigmore makes a characteristically fascinating case for why not in the Telegraph - purely because the idea of the Aussies batting to 420-3 across four sessions against a knackered Mark Wood, Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson seems almost too predictable, if anything.
But will that be Bashir? On a human level, I hope he gets the opportunity. You have to feel for him. His figures of 5-286 made his five days in Birmingham hard to watch.
Being thrown into this level of scrutiny and analysis, when he isnโt a County Championship regular, up against players like Shubman Gill, on lifeless pitches, he has shown resilience and improvement.
And heโs playing in a team with no runs on the board. Iโd love to see him in a position where England have racked up 500-odd in the first innings themselves, to see just how useful he can be.
Like I say, the human, brother, son, and husband in me hopes he comes good. The England fan in me? Wellโฆ
Around the world ๐
๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ It appears to be happening. Jofra Archer is poised to make his long-awaited comeback in the third Test against India this week, The Guardian reports. For what itโs worth, Sir James Anderson reckons England have "got to" play Jof, the BBC says.
๐บ TNT Sports are nearing an agreement to broadcast this winterโs Ashes, The Telegraph reports. Itโs believed to be a one-horse race because Sky Sports is prioritising the darts over Christmas. What do you mean youโd rather watch Luke Littler at Ally Pally over an Ollie Pope three-ball duck?
๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ In the wake of the Edgbaston drubbing, Baz has called for more pace at Lordโs and blamed the B5 pitch, reports The Telegraph.
๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ More Edgbaston fallout: in the Telegraph, Michael Vaughan brands Zak Crawley the โluckiestโ cricketer in England history, and thereโs Sir Geoffrey Boycott, saying Chris Woakes is โpast his sell-by dateโ. Yes but tell us what you really think Geoffrey.
๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ Friend of The Cricket Drop, Ben Brettell, reckons England face "selection questions" (read via Substack here), The Independent says England have a Ben Stokes problem and the Daily Mail has the player ratings from Birmingham.
๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ Delicious drama in the T20 Blast, with the BBC reporting Lancashire batter Phil Salt has had the bat he used in their T20 match against Northants Steelbacks cleared by the Cricket Regulator's anti-corruption unit.
๐ฟ๐ฆ South Africa stand-in captain Wiaan Mulder made the fifth-highest score in Test cricket - but opted to declare rather than chase Brian Lara's record 400 not out, Sky Sports reports. Bazball would never.
๐ฃ๏ธ Mulder said:
Brian Lara is a legend, let's be real. He got 400 against England and for someone of that stature to keep that record is pretty special.
If I get the chance again I'd probably do the same thing.โ
Spoilsport.
๐ฟ๐ผ Kundai Matigimu, meanwhile, has been fined 15% of his match fee and handed a demerit point for throwing the ball and hitting an opponent in the same match, Cricinfo reports.
๐ Time to dust off the motorcycle leathers and divorce the wife. Why? Well, because Test cricket is facing a midlife crisis, Cricinfo reports. Flat, long-lasting pitches and quickly softening Dukes balls are making the contest totally one-sided.
โณ India's white-ball tour to Bangladesh, which was originally supposed to take place in August 2025, has now been moved, The Economic Times reports.
๐ฎ๐ณ Bowling through heartbreak and hardship, Cricinfo profiles Akash Deepโs journey from grief to glory. The Indian Express have a view on Shubman Gillโs brilliance, and the same site analyses Mohammed Sirajโs role as Team Indiaโs senior pacer, jester, cheerleader and neo-Jonty Rhodes.
๐ฎ๐ณ A sexual harassment case has been filed against RCBโs Yash Dayal, News18 reports.
๐ค Sanjog Gupta has been announced as the new CEO of the ICC, Sports Illustrated reports.
๐ต๐ฐ The PCB has overhauled its domestic structure yet again, featuring a slimmed down Quaid-e-Azam trophy (QeA) with just eight teams, and culling the much-trumpeted Champions Cup tournaments, reports India TV.
๐ฎ๐ณ Deepti Sharma has pulled out of the Women's Hundredd, Cricinfo reports. Elsewhere, England's Lauren Filer says she wants to break the 80mph barrier to prove women can bowl with such pace, the BBC says, and Sophie Ecclestone returns to the England ODI squad for India alongside Maia Bouchier, the ECB has confirmed.
๐ต๐ฐ And Salman Agha will lead a side without a recovering Shadab Khan and an injured Haris Rauf for Pakistan's three-match T20I series against Bangladesh, Cricket Pakistan has confirmed.
๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ Thatโs just not cricket. The Telegraphโs Tim Wigmore has revealed the Cambridge cricket community is in revolt about the treatment of Fennerโs, the iconic first-class ground used by Cambridge University.
Quote of the week ๐ฃ๏ธ
โWe probably got it slightly wrong."
๐ฃ๏ธ Brendon McCullum there, reflecting on India making 587 in the first innings having lost the toss and being put into bat.
You think?
Photo of the week ๐ท
๐ท 430 runs. The second batter to make two 150-plus scores in a Test. The ninth batsman to notch up a century and a double-century in a Test. The second Indian skipper with a hundred in both innings of a Test. The second Indian with hundreds in both innings of a Test in England.
Shubman Gill likes Birmingham so much heโll be calling his first two children Bostin and Bab.
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The Cricket Drop Community Noticeboard๐
๐ Friends of The Cricket Drop, Tim Wigmore and Jarrod Kimber, in conversation at Waterstones Piccadilly? Count us in. Test Cricket by Tim tells the full, gripping story of the players and stories that have shaped the game's evolution since 1877. The Art of Batting by Jarrod is a majestic analysis of the batsman's craft which counts down its top fifty proponents in entertaining and informative style. Tickets here.
๐ In the latest episode of Reports from Arbroath, Chris Woakes shares his journey from local cricket to becoming a prominent all-rounder for England. Listen via Spotify here.
๐ Beyond Cow Corner has issued a response to The Telegraph's 30 Greatest Fast Bowlers.
Beyond Cow Corner writes:
They got me. That damned, dirty ragebait got meโhook, line, and sinker. Mission accomplished.
More here.
Ticket Drop ๐ซ
๐ซ An Evening with Ben Stokes? As the inaugural event of the ICONS series brought to you by 4CAST, Englandโs newest skipper appears live on stage for the first time. In conversation with Josh Denzel, Ben will lift the lid on the national sideโs incredible transformation and give you an insight into the highs and lows of his extraordinary rollercoaster life. More here.
๐ซ Priority tickets to the ICC Women's T20 World Cup ends next week. Secure your seat now before they're gone.
๐ซ Test three of England versus India at Lord's has seen multiple days sell out, but at Emirates Old Trafford in the fourth, there are limited tickets remaining for days two and three. More here.
This weekโs fixture highlights โฐ
Wednesday 9 July
Women's International Twenty20
England Women vs India Women
Vitality Blast Men - North Group
Bears vs Lancashire Lightning
Vitality Blast Men - South Group
Middlesex vs Hampshire Hawks
Sussex Sharks vs Kent Spitfires
Vitality Blast Women
Hampshire Hawks Women vs Lancashire Thunder
Bears Women vs Surrey Women
Thursday 10 July
Men's International Test Match
England vs India
Men's International Twenty20 Match
Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh
Vitality Blast Men - North Group
Leicestershire Foxes vs Northamptonshire Steelbacks
Derbyshire Falcons vs Worcestershire Rapids
Vitality Blast Men - South Group
Hampshire Hawks vs Glamorgan
Friday 11 July
ICC Men's T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier
Scotland vs Jersey
Netherlands vs Italy
Vitality Blast Men - South Group
Middlesex vs Gloucestershire
Kent Spitfires vs Somerset
Surrey vs Glamorgan
Essex vs Sussex Sharks
Vitality Blast Men - North Group
Worcestershire Rapids vs Bears
Northamptonshire Steelbacks vs Derbyshire Falcons
Nottinghamshire Outlaws vs Durham
Lancashire Lightning vs Yorkshire
Vitality Blast Women
The Blaze vs Surrey Women
Durham Women vs Hampshire Hawks Women
Somerset Women vs Bears Women
Saturday 12 July
Men's International Test Match
West Indies vs Australia
Women's International Twenty20
England Women vs India Women
Sunday 13 July
Men's International Twenty20
Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh
Vitality Blast Men - North Group
Worcestershire Rapids vs Leicestershire Foxes
Bears vs Northamptonshire Steelbacks
Lancashire Lightning vs Durham
Yorkshire vs Derbyshire Falcons
Vitality Blast Men - South Group
Glamorgan vs Gloucestershire
Hampshire Hawks vs Sussex Sharks
Surrey vs Somerset
Kent Spitfires vs Middlesex
Vitality Blast Women
Hampshire Hawks Women vs Bears Women
Lancashire Thunder vs Durham Women
Surrey Women vs Somerset Women
Essex Women vs The Blaze
Tuesday 15 July
Vitality Blast Men - North Group
Durham vs Leicestershire Foxes
Vitality Blast Women
Durham Women vs Surrey Women
Podcast and video watch ๐ง
๐ฅ Ben Gardner and Yas Rana pick Wisden's current World Test XI. Watch via YouTube above.
๐ง I absolutely love this. On Test Match Special this week, Jonathan Agnew welcomed TMS superfan Ravi into the commentary box. Ravi is visually impaired and plays as part of the Lordโs Taverners supers 1s competition. Listen on as Ravi meets Root, Archer, Phil Tufnell and Ebony Rainford-Brent. Plus, his favourite player Yashasvi Jaiswal. Listen via Spotify here.
๐ฅ What does a cricket analyst actually do? Why do fans mock data? Can cloud cover really help swing? Cricket With Sparsh speaks with Himanish Ganjoo โ a physicist-turned-cricket analyst who worked with Team India from 2022 to 2024, helped build strategy for the T20 World Cup-winning team, and created a T20 batting app thatโs changing how we understand the game. Watch via YouTube here.
Just a note to sayโฆ
๐ฎ Well, my international season at Edgbaston has wrapped up. But I will still be in attendance for T20 Blast, One-Day Cup and The Hundred fixtures. If you are too, please do drop me a line.
After all, Iโm open to your feedback. Got something you feel we should be covering? Want more or less of a certain feature? Then just fill out this super simple form.
