Bashir leaves Somerset after expiration of contract after seeing playing time hard to come by at Taunton so far.
Bashir leaves Somerset after he completes his contract with the County.
In the past 18 months, Bashir has emerged as England’s preferred spinner, appearing in all 15 Test matches and winning player of the match in their most recent victory over Zimbabwe. However, he has had difficulty finding playing time at Somerset, whose County Championship team has favoured Archie Vaughan’s all-around skills and Jack Leach’s left-arm spin.
Prior to the Test summer, Bashir went on loan to Worcestershire after playing four Championship games and one 50-over encounter for Somerset last year. He made a similar temporary transfer to Glamorgan this season, when he claimed two costly wickets in three Championship games. The Blast season did not include him.
There have reportedly been no talks about a new contract since Bashir signed a two-year term with Somerset in 2023. Although Bashir acknowledged last week that his circumstances are “unique,” he lauded Leach’s influence on him as a mentor at Somerset, stating: “It’s hard to fit two of us [in the side], at the start of the year especially.”
Players in the last year of their current contracts are now free to speak with other clubs in preparation for the upcoming season, as the county cricket transfer market officially opened on Sunday. Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and Surrey, where Bashir played his age-group cricket, are possible suitors, though no approach has been made as of yet.
A potential new county would not instantly pay Bashir a salary if his contract is extended as anticipated because he is centrally contracted by the ECB. Instead, as is customary for England players, he would sign a “shadow” contract that would specify terms of payment in the event that he lost his central contract.
In other news, Todd Murphy has secured a brief appearance in the County Championship. Murphy was a last-minute addition to Australia A’s team to travel Sri Lanka and will play four games for an unidentified country in June and July. Murphy has played seven Test matches for Australia but has fallen behind Matthew Kuhnemann as Nathan Lyon’s understudy.