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Ben Stokes sends message to Shoaib Bashir after Ashes snub

England captain Ben Stokes has moved to reassure spinner Shoaib Bashir that he remains the team’s premier spin bowler, despite the decision to omit him from the squad for the second Ashes Test.

“He knows if it was down to picking our best spinner, he’d have played,” Stokes stated.

“Baz (McCullum) does the telling of good news and bad news and I’m there for follow-ups, so it was pretty much like that. We thought this was the best XI for the conditions and circumstances of the game.

“We tried to look at how we thought spin was going to be used and there was a bit of a tactical element to it – obviously with Jacksy’s ability with the bat, having that down the order for us is useful as well.”

(AFP/Getty)

Jack Rathborn3 December 2025 15:32