England newcomer Shoaib Bashir put his visa issues behind him as he soaked up the “incredible feeling” of dismissing India captain Rohit Sharma on his first day as a Test cricketer.
Bashir was left high and dry in Abu Dhabi after hold ups with his application forced him to miss the start of the series in Hyderabad.
He was eventually forced to travel back to London to receive the stamp of approval and arrived just in time to watch his new team-mates apply the finishing touches to their first Test victory.
Fast forward five days and the 20-year-old was in the thick of the action as India reached 336 for six in Visakhapatnam, capping a remarkable rise to prominence by snaring his first two international wickets.
It took him less than four overs to open his account when he had Sharma, a master of these conditions who boasts eight centuries and an average of 63 on home soil, caught at leg-slip with an off-break.
It was a moment that looked unlikely when he was flying back in the wrong direction last week, but in years to come he will only remember the good things.
“I’m just going to look back on this day and think about getting Rohit Sharma out, I think that’s all that matters really,” he said.
“I had no doubts at all that I’d make it here, I always knew I would get the visa. It was a bit of a hassle but we’re here now, I’ve made my debut, and that’s all that counts. I’m pretty chilled.
“It’s been a very special day. To get Rohit Sharma out, my first wicket, is an incredible feeling. I just let it all out. He’s a quality player, one of the best in the world and a great player of spin as well.”
Bashir was still playing under-18 cricket for Berkshire in 2022 and turned out for Taunton Deane in the West of England Premier League last summer, but England captain Ben Stokes treated him like an old hand.
He was trusted with 28 overs – 10 more than anyone else – and responded with two for 100 on a batting friendly pitch that saw Yashasvi Jaiswal help himself to a superb 179 not out.
Skipper Stokes has excelled in his management of young players – particularly spinners – and told Bashir in the team get together that he was allowed to be nervous.
Yet there was no evidence of any anxieties as he warmed to his task.
“Stokesy is such an incredible lad. He made me feel at ease straight away in the huddle and with all I’ve been through over the past two or three weeks,” he said.
“He has been so supportive. Credit to Stokesy, he’s backed me all the way. He basically just said to me, ‘Remember why you started playing the game, remember your family’.
“He said, ‘Go out there and show what you’ve got. We already know, we’ve seen you, so go out and do what you do best’. Those words helped me massively with my confidence.”
ECB chief insists no decision made on Mott future
England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Richard Gould has denied reports a decision has already been made on Matthew Mott's future as white-ball coach.
Mott's future has been called into question in the aftermath of England's failure to defend their T20 World Cup crown in the United States and West Indies, losing to India in the semi-finals.
Mott also oversaw England's calamitous 50-over World Cup campaign last year, as they lost six of their nine matches in India and crashed out in the group stage.
Reports earlier this week suggested the decision had already been made to dispense with Mott's services, with Eoin Morgan a contender to succeed him, though the former limited-overs captain has since said he has no interest in the role.
Asked by BBC Test Match Special if Mott's future had already been decided, Gould said: "That's not true. That's certainly not true.
"Matthew Mott is a really good guy and coach. He's got a great track record and it is the same with [captain] Jos [Buttler].
"We are always assessing options - that is what happens in high-performance sport, you are always assessing your options.
"You never want to be drawn into being given the dreaded vote of confidence or anything like that. Competitive sport always brings scrutiny and decisions.
"We'll constantly want to assess our options but we'll always want to do the right thing by the sport, the team and individuals."
West Indies grab three late wickets on day one as third Test against England in the balance
England lost three wickets in a dramatic end to day one of the third Test against West Indies, leaving them in a precarious position after restricting the tourists for 282.
Gus Atkinson finished with figures of 4-67, while Chris Woakes took 3-69 for England, as only a fine sixth-wicket stand from Jason Holder and Joshua Da Silva saved West Indies from being bowled out for a much lower total.
But England, chasing a 3-0 series whitewash, let their dominant position slip when taking up the bat for the final 35 minutes, Zak Crawley (18), Ben Duckett (3) and Mark Wood (0) being dispatched as bowler Jayden Seales dropped them to 38-3.
Windies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite won the toss and chose to bat, leading his side to a solid start before a spell of three wickets in five overs before lunch put England on top.
Atkinson accounted for Mikyle Louis (26) and Alick Athanaze (2) on either side of Wood sending stumps flying with a full delivery to dismiss Kirk McKenize for 12.
Brathwaite's knock of 61 was brought to a halt shortly after the action resumed, the captain gloving Wood's leg-side ball to Jamie Smith as the tourists slid from 76-0 to 115-5 in 45 balls.
Holder (59) and Da Silva (49) then shared 108 to drag the Windies towards a respectable total, but things looked bleak for them when the latter feathered Woakes' ball through to Smith.
Having gone 30 overs without a wicket, England needed just 14 more to polish off the tail, the highlight being a terrific diving catch from Joe Root to send Gudakesh Motie (8) packing.
England were given just over half an hour with the bat to cap Friday's action, but any hopes of a serene finish were soon dashed.
Holder made two terrific catches off Seales' bowling, the first from Crawley's thick outside edge and the second to dismiss Wood for a duck, either side of Alzarri Joseph's cracking delivery accounting for Duckett.
That spell ensured what had been a good day for the hosts ended on a sour note, with the Windies sure to target quick wickets when the action resumes on Saturday.
Data Debrief: Atkinson and Seales dominate
This series began with all the focus on James Anderson as England's greatest-ever bowler bowed out at Lord's, but Atkinson has taken centre-stage since making his Test debut in the opening match and now has 20 wickets through five innings.
That is eight more than West Indies' Jayden Seales, the next-most prolific bowler in this series, has managed.
Seales was determined to have an impact on day one, though, and his two wickets at the death have set the stage for a far more competitive match than those England won at Lord's and Trent Bridge.
Bairstow set sights on swift England Test return
Jonny Bairstow bit back when asked if he was targeting an England return, insisting it is "all I want to do."
Bairstow was dropped from England's Test team for the ongoing series against West Indies.
The 34-year-old was part of England's T20 World Cup squad, and played in all five Tests of the tour of India earlier this year.
Bairstow has made 100 Test appearances, and when asked what his immediate target was, the wicketkeeper-batsman told former England captain and now-BBC Sport pundit Michael Vaughan: "All I want to do is play for England. That's end of.
"You don't need to ask me that do you? I think you know me well enough and I think you've known me for long enough to know that."
Bairstow did, however, enjoy a break away from the game, having had four weeks off before he joined the Welsh Fire for the Hundred.
He said: "At the same time it's been a great period of time.
"I had the best part of seven months away from home. Since January, I had five nights at home in my own bed since, until three weeks ago.
"That's the thing you have to sacrifice, time at home but at the same time, when you are away for that period of time, it takes its toll."
England are 2-0 up against the Windies in their three-match series, with the final Test starting at Edgbaston on Friday.
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