Bashir injury affords Dawson an entry into England's spin vault

On Monday evening, as the dust settled on their 22-run win over India, the England Test side gathered in the home dressing room at Lord's.

As is custom, players and staff took turns to speak. Coaches usually go first, then players if they feel compelled to do so. This time, more of the latter stood up to say their piece.

The common theme throughout the speeches was Shoaib Bashir. His dismissal of Mohammed Siraj to take England to a 2-1 series lead was used a springboard to talk about his bravery after breaking his left pinkie finger in India's first innings.

Though only confirmed officially at the end of the match, it was clear soon after Bashir was struck by a powerful return drive from Ravindra Jadeja that he was out of the series. But Bashir soldiered on, batting in India's second innings to put on seven with Jofra Archer in the final stand, facing Jasprit Bumrah for five of his nine deliveries. Then, having convinced Ben Stokes to use him on the final day, fielded valiantly with just his right hand during his three- and 2.5-over spells, hidden in the field but occasionally in play around the boundary.

Bashir is a popular member of the dressing room, the youthful exuberance he brings as a 21-year old still carrying a sense of "how cool is playing Test cricket?" a reminder to the rest how lucky they are to do what they do. The words of his teammates were as much a reflection of his standing, bravery and the heavy sympathy that, for now, his journey is over.

"It would be remiss to not mention Bash, the person who's broken his hand." said Joe Root, when running the rule over the intense five days.

"The way he put his body on the line, he went out there and fielded with a broken hand. And took the winning wicket. For a 21-year-old lad to go out there with his whole career ahead of him, going in and watching him bat last night. There's no better motivation for the rest of the blokes to put everything they could into the day. And for him to be, I guess, big enough and brave enough to do that, it shows what it means to everyone.

"There are obviously personal accolades that you can achieve throughout your Test career. But when you put the team first like that, I think that's a really special thing. I think that's the biggest honour for anyone within our group. To see such a young lad do that for the rest of the crew."

Since debuting in India at the start of 2024, Bashir has almost become a bit of a mascot for the team, and not in the pejorative sense. While his 68 Test dismissals have come at 39.00, his strike rate of 61.7 is the eighth highest among English spinners, sandwiched between Graeme Swann (60.1) and Moeen Ali (61.8).

Though there remains doubt as to whether he is the right spinner for this team, internally, the desire to "hot house" his talent has been aligned with cordoning off the greenhouse from any stones. Stokes, Brendon McCullum or assistant coach Jeetan Patel's, who oversees Bashir's development, defend Bashir staunchly.

The same was afforded to Jack Leach, even when he was dropped at the start of the 2024 season for Bashir. After Bashir had bowled England to victory over West Indies at Trent Bridge that summer, Stokes made a note of calling Leach to reassert his admiration for the left-arm spinner, who went on to make the tour of Pakistan later that year.

There is an understanding among the management group that English spinners need unequivocal support to thrive. Long stints and malleable tactics on the field, or arm around the shoulder and phone calls off it, even when they're not involved. Of all the disciplines, spin requires a more holistic approach.

The result of this is other spinners beyond the team look upon England treat their ilk with a great deal of respect, and a hint of FOMO. Perhaps even a tinge of jealously in the case of Bashir - plucked out of near-obscurity and remains something of a non-entity on the domestic scene, with his departure from Somerset imminent.

The feeling among established domestic players is the Test side is a bit of a closed shop. But, like Hamleys, there are few better shops to be locked in.

Which brings us neatly onto Liam Dawson. With 371 first-class wickets and 18 centuries - along with being an exceptional fielder - the left-arm spinner is undoubtedly the standout candidate in his craft. His absence up until his call-up for the fourth Test to replace Bashir has been a regular point of contention.

If Bashir has been the poster boy for the "attributes over averages" approach, Dawson has been the unwitting figure-head for the vocal opposition. Since the 2023 season, Dawson has 124 dismissals, with last year's 54 alongside 956 runs at 59.75 earning enough support from his domestic peers to win the men's PCA player of the year award. Even this summer, his 21 at 40.04 have been with an economy rate of just 2.55.

Dawson's relationship with the current decision makers has not been smooth. Having turned down a call-up to a 2023 tour of Bangladesh for the PSL, he was informed he would be in England's ODI World Cup squad, only to find himself omitted altogether. At that season's PCA awards do, he revealed accepting a call-up for the India Test series in the New Year would not be straightforward given a clash with a lucrative SA20 stint with Sunrisers Eastern Cape.

It did not come, with Bashir, Leach, Lancashire's Tom Hartley and Leicestershire leg spinner Rehan Ahmed picked ahead of him. That in turn led to a frank admission to ESPNcricinfo at the start of the 2024 domestic season that he was "probably not" keen to play Test cricket again. Having made the last of his three caps in 2017, it was now "completely off the radar".

And yet here we are, with Dawson now leapfrogging the centrally contracted duo of Leach and Rehan. A starting berth at Manchester looks odds on given Stokes' penchant for a spinner; only once in 39 Tests since he and McCullum joined forces at the start of the 2022 summer has an England team not featured a spinner - Root aside - in their XI.

You wonder if some guarantee was made to Dawson considering he has stated publicly he has no intention of carrying drinks at the age of 35. What is clear is his international return under McCullum last month, taking 4 for 20 in the first of the three-match T20I series against West Indies, has worked both ways. Not only did it underline his quality to those he has spurned before, but it confirmed to Dawson there was a way back in.

It is worth remembering the absurd situation around Dawson's last two Test caps. Against South Africa, Root and then-head coach Trevor Bayliss galaxy-brained picking him expressly in the role of "first spinner", a status they felt took the pressure off Moeen, who was *actually* first choice. When Moeen took 10 at Lord's and then four in the next Test at Headingley, Dawson had served his purpose, and was discarded like a pair of training wheels.

Eight years on, more grizzled, more experienced and certainly more sceptical, Dawson at least knows he will be backed outright. His previous experience of Test cricket will be a far cry from the environment he will come into. And though more will be expected of him than Bashir, he will be afforded all the same support and perceived luxuries to thrive.