Shoaib Bashir broke his hand while attempting to grab a difficult catch that would have helped England eliminate Ravindra Jadeja at a critical point in India’s first innings on Day 3 of the Lord’s Test. As Joe Root finished the over, the off-spinner had to walk off the pitch to seek medical assistance. Bashir did not return to bowl on day three. However, he did come out to bat in England’s second innings on Day 4 and got two runs off nine deliveries.
In India’s second innings, England bowled 17.4 overs in the final session of Day 4, although Shoaib Bashir did not bowl.
However, England’s batting coach Marcus Trescothick provided an important update on Bashir’s fitness, confirming that the 21-year-old is eligible to bowl on Day 5.
“He’s fit to bowl and was ready to ball. I believe it is in the rules; he can come on to bowl as needed, and if he is not bowling at any point, he can leave because it is clearly an external blow. So, if we need him, he’ll be ready to bowl,” Trescothick stated at the press conference following Day 4.
It’s worth noting that the ECB had already notified Bashir in the early hours of Day 4 that he was available to bat and bowl as needed. India needs 135 runs on Day 5, while England has six wickets to take.
Hopefully it will seam everywhere and we’ll get six wickets in the first hour: Trescothick
The former England opener believes that the wobble seam delivery could cause a lot of damage at the Home of Cricket on Day 5.
“The majority of what we’ve seen is there is variation in bounce from quick bowlers – people who can bowl balls that hit-the-seam wobbling [delivery]. The wobble seam delivery is a kind of a dangerous ball on this sort of pitch. With the variation, I think you see a bit more bounce bowling from the Nursery end than you see from bowling from Pavilion End,” Trescothick said.
Trescothick feels that England should look to finish the game quickly on Day 5 by picking up the remaining six wickets as soon as possible.
“Maybe a bit more use of the slope where it angles back towards the stump. So that’s hopefully what we’ll see again tomorrow. Hopefully it will seam everywhere and we’ll get six wickets in the first hour,” he added.
India
