He has scalped nine wickets in the ongoing series so far.
England bowler Shoaib Bashir sustained a finger injury during the third day of the ENG vs IND 3rd Test at Lord’s. The incident transpired on the fifth ball of the 78th over, when the 21-year-old was bowling to Ravindra Jadeja, who drove a powerful low shot straight back at him. It was a caught and bowled chance, but the ball firmly hit Bashir’s hand. As a result, he immediately called the physio. Joe Root then came in to finish the over.
Initially, the host nation was hopeful that Bashir would bowl in the evening session. But he was spotted sitting in the dug-out. Ahead of the fourth day’s play, he was bowling on a practice strip with heavy strapping on his fourth and fifth fingers. Moreover, his batting chance is still under the scanner.
The England Cricket Board (ECB) released a statement before the start of play.
“Following his left little finger injury, Shoaib Bashir continues to be monitored and is expected to bowl in the fourth innings of this Test. A decision on whether he will bat in the third innings will be made in due course. His involvement in the fourth Test at Emirates Old Trafford will be assessed at the end of the match”, the official statement read.
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In the ongoing third Test, he was able to snare KL Rahul, who made a fantastic century before getting out on day three at Lord’s. Before leaving the field, Bashir registered the figures of 59/1 in 14.5 overs. The young off-spinner has scalped nine wickets in the ongoing five-match Test series, at an average of 59.44. Overall, the Chertsey-based player has played 18 Test matches so far, where he has picked up 66 wickets, including four five-wicket hauls.
If Bashir fails to be fit for the next Test in Manchester, England have options in Liam Dawson, Jack Leach, and Rehan Ahmed.
Notably, India’s star player Rishabh Pant also suffered an injury in the first innings when he decided to dive down the leg side off Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling. In an attempt to save the boundary, he hurt his finger. Dhruv Jurel replaced Pant behind the stumps. Despite his finger injury, he stepped out to bat and smashed a brilliant fifty, helping India score 387 runs in the first Innings.
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