England Test spinner Shoaib Bashir is expected to depart Somerset at the end of the current summer season in pursuit of more consistent first-team cricket outside of his international commitments. Despite becoming England’s primary spinner over the last 18 months, featuring in all 15 recent Tests and being named Player of the Match in the recent win against Zimbabwe, Bashir has found game-time at Somerset limited. The county has favored the left-arm spin of Jack Leach and the all-round abilities of Archie Vaughan in their County Championship side.
Last year, Bashir played only four Championship matches and a single 50-over game for Somerset, even going on loan to Worcestershire. This season, he made a similar short-term move to Glamorgan, where he had a less impactful stint, and has not been included in Somerset’s T20 Blast plans.
Bashir signed a two-year extension with Somerset in 2023, but there have been no discussions regarding a new deal. While he has praised Leach as a mentor, Bashir admitted last week that his situation is “unique” and it’s “hard to fit two of us [spinners] in the side, at the start of the year especially.”
The county cricket transfer window effectively opened on Sunday, allowing players in the final year of their contracts to engage with other clubs. While no formal approach has been made yet, potential suitors for Bashir include Surrey, where he played age-group cricket, as well as Warwickshire and Worcestershire.
As Bashir holds a central contract with the ECB (expected to be extended), a new county would not immediately pay his salary. Instead, he would sign a ‘shadow’ contract, outlining payment terms should he lose his central contract, a standard procedure for England players. Graeme Swann, who himself thrived after moving from Northamptonshire to Nottinghamshire, has previously encouraged Bashir to leave Somerset for career development, suggesting the ECB should intervene if Somerset isn’t playing him.
In other news, Surrey is reportedly eyeing Adam Zampa as a potential replacement signing for the T20 Blast. Zampa, who previously played for Oval Invincibles in The Hundred (but is unavailable this year due to Australian commitments), could provide cover for Mitchell Santner when the latter captains New Zealand in a T20I tri-series in Zimbabwe in July.
Meanwhile, Australian spinner Todd Murphy, who has played seven Tests for Australia but has fallen behind Matthew Kuhnemann as Nathan Lyon’s understudy, has arranged a short-term County Championship stint. Murphy, who was a late withdrawal from Australia A’s tour of Sri Lanka, will play four matches for an undisclosed county in June and July.
