Shoaib Bashir provides update on his finger injury, likely to play The Ashes 2025-26

Shoaib Bashir sustained a finger injury during the ENG vs IND test series.

England spinner Shoaib Bashir is confident that he will recover from his finger injury in time and will be available for The Ashes 2025-26.

During the third test between England and India at the Lord’s, Bashir sustained a finger injury while attempting a catch off his bowling. Despite the injury, he bowled in the second innings of the encounter and picked the last wicket of Mohammed Siraj to power England to a 22-run win.

Later, he was ruled out of the next two games of the series. England added spinner Liam Dawson as a replacement for Bashir, however, he could not impress with his performance in the fourth test in Manchester. Bashir finished with 10 wickets across three games.

Shoaib Bashir provides update on his finger injury

While speaking to PA news agency, Bashir said that he has resumed his exercise routine, however, he can’t play cricket for some more time.

“I’m thankful it was my non-bowling hand because otherwise things might look a bit different. These things happen in cricket and they’re part of the journey. I had a screw put in my finger just to hold the bone together. I can’t play cricket for a bit of time but I’m slowly getting back in the gym now, which is good,” he said.

The right-arm spinner noted that he can’t confirm the date of his return, however, he will recover soon and is looking forward to playing in Ashes 2025-26.

“(There is) not a specific (return) date – we’ll see where we’re at in a few weeks. Hopefully pretty soon. I should be good (for the start of the Ashes). It’s always in the back of your head – it’s the one series everyone talks about. It will be an exciting series for sure. I’ve been talking to a few people about my plans, but I’m not leaking anything here,” he added.

Notably, Bashir has been the frontline spinner for England in tests. Since his debut last year, the 21-year-old has picked 68 wickets in 19 tests at an average of 39.0. Meanwhile, Ashes 2025-26 will begin on November 21 with the first test in Perth. The much-awaited test series will witness five matches, with the final encounter scheduled to be played from January 4 to 8, 2026 in Sydney.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.