Trent Bridge. Ben Stokes praised 20-year-old offspinner Shoaib Bashir, who led England to a series-clinching win over the West Indies at Trent Bridge on Sunday. Bashir took 5-41 off 11.1 overs in the second innings, becoming England's youngest bowler to take five wickets in a home Test and the first spinner to take five wickets in a Test innings in Nottingham since 2006. England beat the West Indies by 241 runs in the match. Stokes praised Bashir after the match, saying, “He has a lot of talent and an incredible desire to get better. His intention is always to take wickets. It's really great for a young player to put in a performance that helped England win a Test. He was quite emotional at the end. It was a great day for him. He showed the world what he can do.” Bashir's rise from relative obscurity is well documented. He was picked for the tour of India earlier this year after England captain Stokes saw him bowling in a video of Alastair Cook on X (formerly Twitter). Despite not being a regular for Somerset, the young offspinner's 2.35-metre release point and his control over length were considered crucial for the challenging tour of the subcontinent.

Bashir proved his selection right by taking 17 wickets in three Tests in India, taking five wickets each in Ranchi and Dharamsala. Interestingly, Bashir was loaned to Worcestershire by Somerset at the start of this County Championship season and Jack Leach was preferred as the sole spinner. However, Stokes, Brendon McCullum and Rob Key opted to replace the incumbent spin-bowling Leach and picked Bashir for this West Indies series. Stokes said after the efforts at Trent Bridge after Bashir did not bowl at Lord's, “All the decisions we make are based not only on how far we can take the talent, but also whether we feel they are good enough for international cricket. Bashir showed what he can do in India in conditions that suit him, but this week the pitches were not really too conducive to spin and he has taken seven wickets in the match. His ability to vary his pace, alter his line and control how the ball reacts to the surface was top class.”

Stokes also praised Mark Wood, who took only two wickets in 28 overs in the Test. However, the England captain did not say whether his fast bowler would be rested for the final match of the series. Stokes said, “On another day, Woody could have got the Man of the Match, the way he bowled was amazing. He has not got the reward in this game, but in this heat someone has to pay eventually. In batting we talk a lot about partnerships, and it is the same thing with bowling. You look at the number of wickets at the other end when Woody was bowling his spell, this is the impact a bowler like Woody can have.” He further said, “He has the heart of a lion, his speed is amazing, but he also has the skill, so that he is able to hit a certain area consistently.” The third Test of the series will start on July 26 at Edgbaston.