McCullum: We’re not afraid to go with an all-spin attack

SHOAIB BASHIR could be plunged straight into an all-spin attack in the second Test against India after his visa nightmare. England coach Brendon McCullum yesterday floated the idea of Bashir, who only arrived in India on Sunday during the first Test, making his debut in Visakhapatnam with four spinners and no frontline seamer.

It would be an extraordinary move to hand a debut to a 20-year-old with just six first-class games behind him, particularly after his arrival was held up when the Indian authorities delayed granting his visa because of his Pakistani heritage. But England have shown they are not afraid to make bold calls and their latest one, handing a debut in the first Test to Tom Hartley, paid off spectacularly when he took seven second-innings wickets in a historic victory.

England have yet to see the pitch for Friday’s game but Kevin Pietersen, here on TV commentary duty, has told them it offered plenty of turn and bounce when he played a legends tournament recently. If, when England train today, it looks as though India have repeated their trick of the 2021 series and demanded sharply turning surfaces after losing the first Test, they will have no hesitation in throwing in Somerset novice Bashir.

Jack Leach’s fitness could be key to the possible all-spin attack. He hobbled through the first Test with a knee injury and is still a doubt for Visakhapatnam. ‘Bash was with us during our training camp in Abu Dhabi and impressed with his skillset,’ McCullum told New Zealand’s SENZ radio. ‘He fitted in seamlessly with the group and he’s a guy who’s got an immense amount of enthusiasm, albeit at a young age and limited in his first-class experience. Like Tom Hartley, he was a guy we looked at and thought had some skills that could help us here.

‘When Bash arrived, the boys gave him a huge cheer and he got to witness something pretty special with the fellas bowling us to a Test win. He comes into the calculations for the next Test.

‘If the wickets continue to spin as much as we saw in the first Test, we won’t be afraid to play all spinners, or a balance of what we’ve got.’

England sprung a surprise when they went into the first Test with just one seamer in Mark Wood, but he made little impact in 25 wicketless overs.

That led to speculation England would replace him with Jimmy Anderson or Ollie Robinson, but if Leach is fit it would be no shock if McCullum plays all his spinners. It would be typical of him and captain Ben Stokes.