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New Delhi: England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir still can't get over the rush of joy he felt when his delivery sneaked past Mohammed Siraj's defence to seal a dramatic Test win for England at Lords. The 21-year-old admitted it was a moment he will carry with him "forever", not just because of the stakes but because it came at the home of cricket in front of a packed crowd.
Bashir was entrusted with the final act by skipper Ben Stokes with India threatening a fightback through Ravindra Jadeja. He was bowling with a strapped-up left hand after suffering a finger injury earlier in the match and produced a ball that bounced back and slipped the base of Siraj's stumps, sparking celebrations around the ground.
Bashir credited former England all-rounder Moeen Ali for giving him the confidence to trust his carrom ball, the very variation that did the real damage. He told The Sunday Times, “Mo encouraged me to bowl the carrom ball. He told me, ‘Back yourself to do it,’ and that meant a lot."
The youngster had already dismissed Siraj with the same delivery in the Edgbaston Test but to repeat the trick in a high-pressure moment at Lord's made it extra special. “From my angle I couldn’t really see the bail come off but the reaction from everyone around told me it had hit. That feeling will stay with me forever,” he said.
Bashir’s role was even more remarkable given that he had fractured his little finger while attempting a return catch off Jadeja in India’s first innings. He later needed surgery with two pins inserted into the finger but refused to let the pain stop him from contributing.
Not only did he deliver the decisive ball but also hung around with the bat for a gritty seven-run stand alongside Jofra Archer, scoring two runs off nine balls despite heavy strapping and discomfort. “My first ball from Bumrah was a bouncer, then he followed it with a yorker. The vibrations went right up my hands. But I was always going to bat, even if it was only to add five or ten runs,” he recalled.
England eventually won that Lord's Test by 22 runs but Bashir's tournament was cut short as the injury ruled him out of the rest of the five-match series. Liam Dawson came in as his replacement but struggled to make an impact with India clawing back to level the series 2-2.
Despite the early end, Bashir has no regrets as he finished with 10 wickets across the matches he played during the series. He even described the experience of facing India's world-class batting line-up as invaluable. The offspinner said, “It was an incredible series to be part of. I learnt a lot playing against some of the best players in the world. I was quite happy with my performances."
Though, for Bashir the highlight of the series will remain the ball which got him Siraj's wicket at Lord's as that moment he announced himself with a delivery that turned a tight Test England's way.
