England vs New Zealand: Shoaib Bashir is ‘not perfect’ and ‘learns on the job’

“I knew I would have a job to do when I came on and luckily I was able to control the run rate, which came in handy,” Bashir said.

Bashir’s success came despite a battle against the strong winds he faced for most of the day.

In three Tests in Pakistan, Bashir managed nine wickets at a cost of almost 50 runs each on surfaces that offered plenty for the spinners. In Christchurch he improved by slowing his pace, averaging 52.2 mph, compared to almost 98 mph in Pakistan.

“I bowled a little slower but I concentrated on controlling my line with the wind,” he said.

“As the wind was very strong, I tried to focus on what I needed to do with my body to get the line I needed to bowl, which was outside.”

Bashir was named England’s top spinner ahead of Jack Leach and leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed.

Despite this, he remains behind Leach in the pecking order at Somerset and was loaned out to Worcestershire in the summer.

Still, the 2,745 deliveries he has bowled in Test cricket this year are more than 500 than the second-leading bowler, Sri Lanka’s spinner Prabath Jayasuriya.

Only India’s Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin have more wickets than Bashir’s 45 in 2024, with 49 and 46 respectively.

“I learn on the job and I’m not perfect,” Bashir said. “Two years ago I didn’t have a district. I’m just very, very grateful for what happened last year.”