England’s Test off-spinner, Shoaib Bashir, is set to join Glamorgan on a short-term loan from Somerset for the start of the County Championship season, ESPNcricinfo understands.
At Somerset, Bashir is behind Jack Leach in the pecking order, and with the emergence of promising off-spinning all-rounder Archie Vaughan, the county were willing to let Bashir leave on loan. The ECB facilitated this move as Bashir holds a one-year central contract and they are keen for the 21-year-old to gain more playing time to develop his talent. The loan is expected to cover the first three matches of the season, starting at Sophia Gardens against Leicestershire on April 4, followed by away games against Gloucestershire and Middlesex.
This move will allow Glamorgan to cover for leg-spinner Mason Crane, who will miss the first three rounds due to a shoulder injury. The acquisition of Bashir in Crane’s absence, who was intended to partner with Ben Kellaway, allows the club to adhere to their plan of fielding two spinners in their starting XI at the beginning of their Division Two campaign.
Bashir emerged as Ben Stokes’ primary spinner last year, taking 49 wickets in 15 Test matches, and will use this loan to prepare for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, commencing on May 22. The 21-year-old previously undertook a similar loan spell at Worcestershire last season, which marked a breakthrough year in 2024.
Propelled onto the international stage for the Test tour of India despite having only six first-class appearances, Bashir impressed with 17 wickets, including two five-wicket hauls, in his first three caps. He soon overtook Leach as England’s primary slow-bowling option for the home summer and marked this rise with career-best red-ball figures of 5 for 41 in the second Test against West Indies, leading England to victory at Trent Bridge.
Challenging series followed against Sri Lanka (six dismissals at 49.33) and in the winter against Pakistan (nine at 49.55) and New Zealand (eight at 51.75). And after taking just four wickets in three matches on the England Lions tour of Australia, including 1 for 74 in the unofficial Test against Australia A, the opportunity to start the summer with first-team cricket at Glamorgan will be crucial, considering the significant engagements ahead.
Bashir hopes to face India again in the summer’s five-Test series, leading up to the Ashes at the end of the year. His height and ability to impart overspin on the ball are considered vital characteristics for success on Australian pitches, something he worked on as part of Andrew Flintoff’s Lions squad earlier this year with the assistance of Lions spin-bowling coach Graeme Swann.
To date, only 11 of Bashir’s 27 first-class appearances have been in the County Championship, and his current contract with Somerset is set to expire at the end of the summer, along with his central contract.
In an interview with ESPNcricinfo earlier this year, Bashir emphasized his desire to improve his consistency and ability to hold up an end without neglecting his wicket-taking responsibilities. ‘I’m 21 years old, right? I’m still learning. I’ve only played professional cricket for about two or three years? It’s just a work in progress.’
Even in the short term, a move to Glamorgan will aid this development, given their tendency to utilize a specialist spinner. Last year, Crane played 11 of a possible 14 matches in Division Two, bowling 304.2 overs, the second most in the squad after James Harris’s 309.5, with 29 dismissals. Bashir can also benefit from the expertise of former England spinner Richard Dawson, who was appointed interim head coach at Glamorgan in January.
