Exclusive: Shoaib Bashir Can Be England’s Answer to Nathan Lyon in Australia, says Coach Sid Lahiri

It’s the Ashes season. Expect banters and direct digs. 

Two months ago, Australia’s legendary off-spinner Nathan Lyon had claimed that Shoaib Bashir, one of England’s primary spin options in the upcoming Ashes Down Under, had been ‘okay’ in his short red-ball career.

The 21-year-old was backed by England, ahead of left-arm spinner Jack Leach, to replicate what Lyon does on Australian pitches. He has been an all-conditions bowler, which helped him climb up the ranks faster. On top of that, he debuted in the tour of India, a spinner’s den, last year. He finished with 17 wickets in three Tests.

Bashir has 68 scalps in 19 appearances with decent performances in Pakistan and New Zealand. In his last outing against India at home, he returned 10 wickets in three Tests. 

Can he turn out to be the trump card for the touring party in the five-match series starting November 21 in Perth?

SHOAIB BASHIR'S MAJOR SKILLSET

Siddhartha Lahiri, who coached Bashir from the age of 8 until five years ago, explained what makes Bash, as he is fondly called, unique and why he would excel in Australia. 

"He is a grounded boy, and that comes from his family. He has great values. He can bowl long spells and contain if he wants to."

"He is tall and has developed his bowling skills a lot. And in Australia, I am confident he will be a holding bowler, not conceding too many runs, and giving fast bowlers a break within their spells. And when the ball starts to turn and bounce from Day 3 or Day 4, he will be successful," he told SportsBoom.co.uk. 

Lahiri is currently the Head of International Player Development and an Assistant Coach with the Royals group, which owns Rajasthan Royals (Indian Premier League), Barbados Royals (Caribbean Premier League), and Paarl Royals (SA20) and is mostly shuttling between these countries.

His academy in the UK, earlier called Star Cricket Academy, where Bashir walked in as a kid, is now called Royals Academy Surrey.

LEARNT THE HARD WAY, A CALM MIND

At 17, Bashir was released by Surrey. He later found a new home in Somerset but remained behind Leach and Archie Vaughan for the large part of his County career.

Now, he is England's No. 1 spinner despite a lack of gametime in domestic cricket. 

"Shoaib makes you look at the system in England. It is a great learning experience for a lot of coaches that sometimes, at a younger age, players are written off because they don't fit into the system, but he showed otherwise. He was a quiet child and not hugely talented in terms of what people wanted at the age-group level. What he had was the knack of bowling long spells from an early age," reasoned Lahiri.

Another strong suit of the young spinner is his nerve. 

"He doesn't get too fazed by anything around him. To succeed in international cricket, you can't be affected by the noise around you. There were players in the system who were better, but it didn't bother him. He was very young when he played in India. When he was 11 or 12, I used to make him play adult cricket. He has come through that system, so he is quite mature. He would be good in Australia," he added.

LENGTH IS THE KEY

Lyon has 268 wickets in 72 Tests in Australia. Bashir has not played in Australia yet but he stands at six feet four inches, which could be an advantage on the bouncy wickets. 

"Once you start hitting the rough and get some purchase from the bouncy wickets in Australia, you need somebody to hit the right areas."

"Lyon is not coming and bowling too many different balls, but he will come at you ball after ball and go on doing that. Modern-day batters playing all formats don't have a tight defensive technique, not what it used to be 15 years ago. If a bowler keeps hitting the right length stump-to-stump, which Shoaib can, he will be effective," said Lahiri, who has also coached Ollie Pope in his formative years. 

He trusts the right-hander, who lost his vice-captaincy to Harry Brook, to deliver in Australia. 

"I think he is another player who can bounce back when things aren't going well for them, and stick at it. Ollie is doing that. The wickets in Australia will suit him. There will be less lateral movement, and he likes a bit of pace. He looked good for Surrey in the few County games I watched."

It remains to be seen if Bashir can jump from being an 'okay' spinner to an excellent one, being around Lyon's aura.