Mark Butcher hails Shoaib Bashir as 'the real deal' after stunning performance

England's young spinner, Shoaib Bashir, showcased his talent by taking five wickets in the second Test against the West Indies at Trent Bridge. His brilliant performance in the second innings helped England secure a convincing win.

After a strong start with the bat, the West Indies were expected to fight back in their second innings, but Bashir's exceptional bowling dismantled their middle order. He took consecutive wickets of Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, and Jason Holder, effectively crushing the West Indies' hopes.

Former cricketer Mark Butcher was full of praise for Bashir, calling him "the real deal." Butcher noted that while Bashir showed promise in the first innings, he lost some consistency towards the end. However, in the second innings, the young bowler displayed better control and flight, leading to his success.

“I think so, I think he is (the real deal). I think you could see it even in the first inning, towards the back end, when the ball was flying around a little bit more. He lost a little bit of consistency, dragged a few balls down, but I think there was enough on show,” Butcher said.

Butcher also highlighted the positive influence of England's captain, Ben Stokes, on Bashir's game. Despite having no prior international experience, Bashir was entrusted with significant responsibilities by Stokes, and he delivered. Butcher emphasized that Stokes' understanding and supportive captaincy played a crucial role in Bashir's development.

“He also has a brilliant captain in Ben Stokes to work with. He is very sympathetic, I think, as a captain but also understands how to allow you to bowl good balls that do not get knocked for ones, and batters cannot just sit there and milk you and make you feel like you are not kind of having any effect at all,” he further added.