Follow UsShoaib Bashir, who picked up the wicket of Mohammed Siraj on the final day of the Lord’s Test to win England the game and put them 2-1 in the five-match series, said that the feeling will stay with him forever.
He thanked Chennai Super Kings (CSK) great Moeen Ali for all the help that he received from the former England cricketer regarding spin bowling, as he too is an off-spinner.
“I met Moeen Ali for the first time at Edgbaston, and we spoke a lot. Mo encouraged me to bowl the carrom ball. He’s someone I’ve always looked up to, and for him to say, ‘Back yourself to do it,’ meant a lot,” PTI quoted Bashir as saying to The Sunday Times.
“Since Edgbaston, I’ve been in touch with Mo a fair few times. He’s a legend and someone I look up to massively, especially being an off-spinner in England, which is not an easy job,” added the man who picked 10 wickets in the three Tests that he was a part of in the series.
Talking about the moment he will remember, Bashir, who was injured in the first innings itself, was called on to bowl after the last two wickets- Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj put on a great defence with Ravindra Jadeja in the Lord’s Test.
“We were creating chances, but just couldn’t get that wicket. I really wanted to get out there. Stokesy knew and gave me the go-ahead when he was on the field, and I was on the bench. My left hand felt pretty good when I was bowling. I’m just glad I could make a difference,” the 21-year-old said about his introduction in the second innings.
Delving into the details of the plan created to deceive Siraj, Bashir said, “We got Joe Root to come into a silly point to put pressure on Siraj, and I just tried to put as many revs on that ball as I could. Luckily, it popped from a length, and when it hit his bat (and down into the ground), everyone was just looking, ‘Where is it?’”
“From my angle, I couldn’t really see (the bail coming off). My reaction was different from other people’s reactions. I was just relieved. That feeling will stay with me forever—at the home of cricket in front of a packed crowd. It doesn’t get better,” he expressed.
Bashir is still injured, and he will most likely be trying his best to get fit for the Ashes Downunder, starting November 21 at Perth.