England spinner Shoaib Bashir finds new county after Ashes snub

Shoaib Bashir has signed a two-year deal with Derbyshire as the England spinner looks to bounce back from a tough Ashes tour.

Bashir had travelled to Australia as ostensibly England’s first-choice spinner but did not feature in a single Test as the tourists suffered a 4-1 defeat, with Will Jacks, who offered greater batting depth, preferred.

The 22-year-old had left Somerset at the end of the county summer at the conclusion of his contract having spent time on loan with Glamorgan last year, and will now relocate to Derby in search of more consistent playing opportunities.

Bashir, who has taken 68 wickets in 19 Tests in his career, is on a central contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) until the end of 2026 but has signed terms with Derbyshire through the 2027 summer. He will work closely with head coach Mickey Arthur as the county push for promotion from Division Two of the County Championship.

“Derbyshire have a really exciting project going on and working with Mickey Arthur, one of the best coaches in the world, is a great opportunity for any young player,” Bashir said.

“I’m keen to play more red ball cricket, continue my development in the white ball formats, and challenge for promotion with Derbyshire. This is an exciting move for me and I can’t wait to meet the group.”

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Bashir had been in the strange situation of being first-choice for his country but second-choice for his county, with Somerset preferring Jack Leach and also utilising young all-rounders Archie Vaughan and Lewis Goldsworthy on turning pitches at Taunton.

His international career would appear to be in a state of flux after England’s difficult Ashes. Bashir last featured in the third Test against India at Lord’s in July before being ruled out of the remaining two matches of that series with a broken finger, though has been backed heavily by captain Ben Stokes and the rest of the England hierarchy

Derbyshire open their County Championship season against Worcestershire from 3 April. Left-armer Jack Morley was their lead spinner in red-ball cricket last year, finishing with 27 wickets at an average of 47.18