ENG vs IND 2025: Shoaib Bashir Ruled Out of Remainder of Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Due to Injury

The decision to exclude spinner Shoaib Bashir from the final two Test matches in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy is a significant setback for England. The tweaker will have surgery next week after heroically continuing to bowl and field despite breaking a finger on his left hand during the third game at Lord's.

After breaking his left finger trying to catch off his bowling in the Lord's Test, England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir will not be able to play in the next two Test matches of the current Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025. In the 78th over of India's opening innings, the 21-year-old attempted to take a return catch to dismiss Ravindra Jadeja, but was injured on Day 3 of the third Test. To get medical attention, Bashir had to leave the field. Joe Root bowled 10.1 overs over the remainder of the day, and he did not come out to the field.

Shoaib Bashir Out of Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy:

After the match, England captain Ben Stokes revealed, “Every time I turned around to the bench to ask for a drink, I saw Bashir’s little head peeking out there ready to go. The match officials obviously told us that when he wasn’t bowling, he could stay off the field, but when he was bowling, he had to stay out there. We threw a lot at their batting line-up with a seam, so just breaking that flow of the game up with spin was something I was going to go to. It is great that Bash was able to get that last wicket with what he had to deal with this week."

Ruled out of the remaining two Tests with a fractured finger, Shoaib Bashir’s final act of the series was one to remember ✨ pic.twitter.com/rOM5sSmWiv

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) July 14, 2025

In England's second innings, Bashir did bat in his typical No. 11 spot. Washington Sundar, another off-spinner, removed him after he faced nine balls and scored two runs. When the Indian lower-order batsmen started to irritate the England seamers in the second half of the day, Bashir was asked to bowl after spending the majority of Day 5 off the field. While attempting to stop a ball from reaching the boundary in the deep, Bashir also appeared to be in a lot of trouble. He had a lot of straps on his left hand.

Over the past few years, England has favoured Bashir to be the front-line spinner. He has prevented Jack Leach, a teammate from Somerset, from playing. However, with Bashir's injury, the seasoned left-arm spinner might rejoin the setup. Liam Dawson, Tom Hartley, and Rehan Ahmed are among the players who could be selected for the final two Test matches. The final two Test matches will be held in Manchester and London, with England leading the series 2-1.

Stay connected for more cricket news and updates.