England Spinner Shoaib Bashir Set to Leave Somerset in Search of Regular First-Team Cricket

England’s rising spin star Shoaib Bashir is set to part ways with Somerset at the end of the 2025 season, seeking more consistent first-team opportunities amid limited County Championship appearances.

Bashir, who has firmly established himself as England's first-choice spinner, featuring in their last 15 Tests and earning Player of the Match honors in a recent win over Zimbabwe, has struggled to break into Somerset’s regular lineup. The county has continued to prefer Jack Leach and the all-round option of Archie Vaughan in their Championship side, leaving Bashir on the fringes despite his international success.

In 2024, Bashir featured in just four Championship matches and a single 50-over game for Somerset before going on loan to Worcestershire. This season, he had a similar short-term loan to Glamorgan, managing just two wickets across three games, and has not featured in Somerset’s T20 Blast plans.

While Bashir signed a two-year contract extension in 2023, sources confirm that no new contract talks have taken place, and the 20-year-old is now free to negotiate with other counties as the county cricket transfer window opened on Sunday.

Speaking recently about his limited opportunities, Bashir acknowledged the challenge of coexisting in the same side as senior spinner Leach:

“It’s hard to fit two of us in the side, especially at the start of the year,” he said, though he also credited Leach as a positive mentor in his development.

Potential Suitors
Clubs including Surrey, where Bashir played age-group cricket, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire are all seen as potential destinations. Any move would likely involve a 'shadow' contract, a common arrangement for centrally contracted England players. This would ensure that the new county is not immediately responsible for his salary, unless his central deal with the ECB ends.

Former England spinner Graeme Swann, who has worked with Bashir through the England Lions, has previously advocated for a move to ensure the young spinner continues his progression.

“He’s the best spinner in England. If you’re not going to play him, then you have to let him go and play for someone else,” Swann said last year.

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Elsewhere in county cricket, Surrey are considering Adam Zampa as a potential T20 Blast signing. Zampa, who previously represented Oval Invincibles in The Hundred, could act as cover for Mitchell Santner, who will be away captaining New Zealand in a T20I tri-series in Zimbabwe this July.

Meanwhile, Todd Murphy, the Australian offspinner, will play four County Championship matches for an unnamed club in June and July. Murphy, who has seven Test caps, was withdrawn from the Australia A tour of Sri Lanka, as he looks to rebuild momentum having slipped behind Matthew Kuhnemann in the national pecking order.

England Spinner Shoaib Bashir Set to Leave Somerset in Search of Regular First-Team Cricket

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