Summary:
- England dropped spinner Shoaib Bashir for the third Ashes Test despite conditions that usually favour spin.
- Will Jacks will be the one to step in and handle the spin workload as England chase a must-win result.
- Australia welcome back Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins, adding pressure to England’s bold selection call.
England have made a bold and risky call for the third Ashes Test in Adelaide, leaving out spinner Shoaib Bashir at a moment when their series hopes are hanging by a thread.
Needing a win to stay alive, the tourists have opted for just one change from the side beaten in Brisbane, with Josh Tongue coming in for Gus Atkinson. The bigger talking point, though, is the missing players.
Controversial Choice for England
The call to leave Bashir out particularly stands out, especially during a Test where every spin is likely to matter, with temperatures set to climb as high as 39C on day two.
Still, England have decided to stick with Will Jacks, who played his first Test in three years in Brisbane and will now carry the spin duties despite being viewed primarily as a batter.
It is a major call by Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, and one that raises questions about the wider Bashir experiment. Over the past two years, England have backed the 22-year-old to learn Test cricket on the job.
England have argued that conditions explained Bashir’s absence earlier in the series. Nathan Lyon barely bowled in the first Test and was left out of the second. That logic becomes harder to sell in Adelaide, where Lyon returns at a ground that suits him perfectly.
No bowler has taken more Test wickets there than Lyon’s 63, with Shane Warne close behind on 56.
Bashir’s international record has been mixed but promising. He has taken 68 wickets in 19 Tests at an average of 39 and became England’s youngest bowler to reach 50 Test wickets earlier this year. His last appearance was also his most memorable, taking the winning wicket in the dramatic Lord’s Test against India before breaking his finger. Since then, he has struggled for rhythm on this tour, managing 2-266 in warm-up matches and looking short of confidence in the nets.
England have not helped themselves by failing to include another specialist spinner in the squad. Rehan Ahmed, Liam Dawson, and Jack Leach were all left out, leaving Jacks as the only option. So far, he has won six first-class wickets.
Lyon: “Not Really Concerned What XI England Produce”
Australia, by contrast, can lean on Nathan Lyon, who needs two wickets to pass Glenn McGrath on the all-time Test list.
Before England named their side, Lyon said:
I would be surprised if their number one spinner is not playing. Will Jacks, I thought he played a pretty decent role in Brisbane with the opportunity he had. I’m not really concerned what XI England produce. We’ll worry about what we’re doing, and control what we can control.
Tongue’s return gives England fresh pace after Atkinson struggled, taking three wickets at an average of 78. Tongue has 31 wickets in six Tests and dismissed Steve Smith twice in his only previous Ashes match.