England have reiterated their belief in Shoaib Bashir as their frontline spinner, even after leaving him out of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide and watching stand-in Will Jacks endure a bruising day in the field.
The decision to omit Bashir, described internally as England’s “No 1 spinner”, was driven by a desire to strengthen a fragile batting order. But the gamble has so far failed to pay off. England were bowled out for a modest 286 in their first innings, with Jacks contributing just six runs, before the off-spinner was asked to shoulder a heavy bowling load on a punishing third day.
Australia’s batters took full advantage. Travis Head’s commanding unbeaten 142 anchored the innings as England, hamstrung by Ben Stokes’ inability to bowl, were left effectively operating with a three-pronged seam attack. Jacks was unable to settle into a consistent rhythm, conceding heavily as Australia stretched their lead to 356, with his figures ballooning to three wickets for 212 runs from 39 overs by stumps.
Assistant coach Jeetan Patel was keen to stress that Bashir’s omission was tactical rather than a reflection of diminished faith.
“We felt we did need that extra batting cover,” Patel said. “I still believe Bash is our No 1 guy and I think he does a fantastic job for us. Always has. But in these conditions we’re horses-for-courses kind of people.”
England had hoped that a quartet of seamers, backed up by Jacks, would give them the best chance of controlling Australia. Instead, the plan unravelled when Stokes was unable to contribute with the ball. The captain, who had already bowled 19 overs in Australia’s first innings and spent more than five hours batting in oppressive heat, did not bowl at all on day three.
Patel played down fears of a fresh injury, attributing Stokes’ absence purely to exhaustion.
“My sense is he’s just pretty knackered and he’s taken a lot out of himself to get through this point in the game,” he said. “All I know is he goes at 100%. If he thinks he can’t do it at 100%, I don’t think he’s going to do it. That’s probably where he’s at: he thought he was a risk, so he didn’t bowl.”
Despite the grim scoreboard and Australia edging closer to an Ashes-clinching victory, Patel insisted there were positives to cling to.
“Guys are hurting,” he admitted. “I thought some of the plans we chose today and the way we executed at times was fantastic. But it didn’t quite go our way. We’ve just got to hold the belief.”
For now, England’s backing of Bashir remains firm, even as the Adelaide Test underlines how thin the margin is when selection calls misfire under Ashes pressure.
