The Ashes: England may call on Shoaib Bashir for first time in series after naming spinner in 12-man squad

England may call on Shoaib Bashir for the first time in The Ashes after naming the spinner in a 12-man squad for the fifth and final Test in Sydney.

The tourists, who gave up their chance to take home the urn by losing the series’ first three Test matches but won a two-day Boxing Day Test by four wickets to claim their first victory on Australian shores in 15 years, have named both Bashir and reserve seamer Matthew Potts as potential additions to a side which has lost the hamstrung Gus Atkinson.

Despite a modest record in county cricket, England’s brains trust invested heavily in off-spinner Bashir in the years leading up to The Ashes, with the belief his 193cm height and high release point would be well-suited to Australian conditions.

But he has not been called upon so far in the series, with his side opting to go with an all-out pace attack in the opening Test of the series in Perth before turning to part-timer Will Jacks in the second, third and fourth games.

Jacks has impressed at times with the bat in the series but has leaked runs with the ball and did not send down a delivery in his side’s fast-forward win at the MCG.

Bashir has found the going tough in the opportunities he has had to bowl on the tour, being expensive in England’s internal practice game at Perth’s Lilac Hill before being taken for 115 runs from 25 wicketless overs against Australia A in Brisbane.

Noted for his accuracy and ability to extract bounce rather than express pace, Potts presents a different profile to Atkinson, Mark Wood and Jofra Archer, each of whom have had their tour brought to an early end by injury.

Wood succumbed to a knee injury which sidelined him for much of 2025 after the first Test, Archer was sent home due to a side strain suffered in Adelaide and Atkinson limped off the MCG midway through Australia’s second innings after hurting his hamstring.

The SCG has a reputation as the most spin-friendly pitch in the country but recent red-ball games at the venue have been dominated by seamers, with 33 of 34 wickets to fall in last year’s Test match between Australia and India taken by fast bowlers.

The venue’s wicket bore a bright green colour when unveiled three days ahead of the Test match yesterday, but head curator Adam Lewis said it would have a completely different look by the time the first ball is bowled on Sunday morning.

“You want to see green tinge three days out,” Lewis said.

“If you’re not seeing any live grass three days out, then that’s when (it’s a worry) … I’m really comfortable with where we’re sitting.

“We had a little bit of sun this morning. They’re saying a bit more sun tomorrow.

“That will take the greenness out of the pitch. We’re really happy with the pitches at the moment. We’re looking good.”

Meanwhile, England opener Zak Crawley has vowed his side will look to put Todd Murphy under pressure if the Australian spinner is selected for what would be his first Test in Australia.

Murphy, who was called into the squad after Nathan Lyon suffered a hamstring injury on the final day of Australia’s series-clinching win in Adelaide, also replaced the veteran for two Tests against England in 2023, where he took seven wickets but went at a run rate of nearly five per over.

He was not used in Melbourne as Australia played a five-pronged seam attack for the second time in the series.

“Whoever plays, I think that’s the mantra of our team, is to try and put pressure on people,” Crawley said.

“Todd’s a very good bowler, but I can envisage us trying to put some pressure on him, like we would all their bowlers.

“That’s going to come with some risks, and if it’s turning it’s definitely going to be a threat.”