London: England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, who picked up the final wicket to script a memorable 22-run victory in the 3rd Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, has been ruled out of the remainder of the five-match series.
Bashir has sustained a fracture to his left finger, which ruled him out of the remainder of the Test series against India, ESPNCricinfo said in an Instagram post on Monday, minutes after England won the third Test against India to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
The 21-year-old Bashir claimed the all-important wicket of Mohammed Siraj for 1-6 in 5.5 overs as India were bowled out for 170, chasing a target of 193 runs. Bashir had taken a wicket in the first innings too.
Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja had added 23 runs to the total as they dragged India closer to the target after coming together at 147 after Jasprit Bumrah was out.
For England, skipper Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer took three wickets each off bowling 24 and 16 overs respectively, while Brydon Carse had two scalps. Chris Woakes and Shoaib Bashir, bowling with a left finger injury, had one wicket each, as England found a way via sheer relentlessness and absolute patience to win an incredible Test match on the day they won the ODI World Cup at the Lord’s exactly six years ago.
Amidst tension amongst every human being in the stadium, the final session started with Jadeja and Siraj scampering for singles, amidst defending solidly to take India closer to victory.
But on the fifth ball of the 75th over, Bashir spun back one which hit Siraj’s bat and rolled back onto the stumps to dislodge the leg-stump bail, sparking jubilant scenes for England and agony in the Indian camp. Bashir is the lone spinner in the England squad, and the team management will likely bring in a replacement ahead of the fourth Test.
(IANS)
