Shoaib Bashir signs for Derbyshire!

For the next two seasons at least, Shoaib Bashir, England's number one spinner, is a Derbyshire player.

Supporters will have a few questions and it is only fair to respond to them as best I can here. But the fact that a player in the current England setup sees Derbyshire as the perfect fit for his immediate career ambitions speaks volumes, not least for the changing attitudes towards the county on the circuit. You have to go back to Phil de Freitas for a player being signed with genuine England aspirations, so in that alone it is a landmark signing.

Mickey Arthur has to take a lot of credit for this, as does Tom Poynton and the board for backing him. There can be little doubt that this would not have happened without a man of Arthur's reputation at the helm. 

For all that some supporters may question his involvement in franchises around the globe, such networking opportunities afford a chance to 'get in someone's ear'. We saw last year how Mohammad Ghazanfar came to the club because of the friendship between Arthur and Mahele Jayawardene, the Sri Lankan legend, heavily involved in Mumbai Indians. He will have done his homework on Bashir, spoken to people around the circuit and will know what he needs to get him back on track. The key now is to provide an environment in which a young man of undoubted talent can flourish.

Is he the finished article? Of course not, he cannot be at his age, despite strong performances in England colours. His county record is very ordinary, but perhaps he has needed somewhere that is the right fit. Tony Palladino did, likewise Mark Footitt, Luis Reece, Martin Andersson and a good many others. A good bowling coach would help too, so Chris Wright can build his own reputation as he hopefully rebuilds that of Bashir.

He will presumably come to Derbyshire as first choice spinner, when available, but he could form an intriguing spin duo with Jack Morley, one that would be ideal for late season pitches. The battle between them will make for good viewing and can only be to the county's benefit. Morley is also a young man of talent, two years the senior, but will understand - as I do - that it will do little for Bashir's fragile confidence to be the immediate number two at a new county. From there, though, it is up to him to maintain the position and for the other man to force his way ahead.

No one can doubt Bashir has ability. You don't get selected for and get wickets at international level without it. But it is up to him now, with his attitude and willingness to learn, to show that Derbyshire were right to give him opportunity. He can improve his all-wicket bowling, but needs also to be seen to contribute in the field and with the bat. 

I jokingly referred to Morley as 'Binary Jack' at the end of 2024, when eight of his nine innings produced only three runs, the same as his eventual average. Yet that had risen to fifteen last year and he contributed well on several occasions. He was also solid in the field and perceptions that this is not a strength of Bashir can only be changed by similar hard work. There was a time when one-dimensional players were fine and there were plenty of them, but not in the modern game.

Even going back to the time of the legendary Edwin Smith, more was needed. He tells the tale of getting out to an off spinner in one game and being berated by Denis Smith, the coach, when he got back to the dressing room. 

'You bowl it, you should be able to **** play it', came the counsel of a man not known for 'molly-coddling'.

Bashir is centrally contracted to England to the end of 2026, so will cost Derbyshire very little this year. If that contract was to end, the club will have budgeted for the ongoing cost, but would then have greater availability of the player. To me, it is a win/win situation. You simply cannot sign better than the player regarded as the country's best in a specialised skill.

In so far as next year is concerned, as I have written before, there are a number of senior players out of contract. Not all of Messrs Madsen, Dal, Whiteley, Brown and indeed Morley will be on the staff in 2027, some through age, others through a need for improved performance. The finance is not an issue and the club board will have that covered.

What does it mean for Joe Hawkins? Very little, to be honest. Hawkins has great potential and he can only benefit from working with the other spinners and the new bowling coach. Time is very much on his side and if his development is accelerated in the second team he will be a medium to long-term success story. But as it is unfair to place undue expectation on the shoulders of Bashir at 22, how could we expect more of an eighteen-year old?

I am pleasantly surprised at the signing, but even more delighted at the level of the club's ambition. It will be nice to see the county name alongside a player when an England squad is announced. I suspect he will remain first choice for his country (if they play a spinner) because the ones behind him, like James Coles and Farhan Ahmed, would represent an even bigger gamble, while Will Jacks doesn't look like an improvement, even if he offers a few runs. How could he be, when he bowled only 75 red ball overs in 2025?

What Bashir now needs is plenty of bowling, because like anything else in life, you only get better if you do something regularly. As Edwin Smith told me recently, it is doing the hard yards on unhelpful pitches that gives you the confidence to do your stuff when conditions are in your favour. Rhythm is king and you cannot replicate it without those overs under your belt. The wickets won't always come, but if you can keep things tight, as Edwin and Geoff Miller once did so well, something often happens at one end or the other.

Shoaib has 68 wickets for his country, at a far better average than for his counties, so far.

I reckon that situation will change over the years ahead.

And he is now Shoaib Bashir of Derbyshire. Well done to everyone concerned in making this happen.

And welcome to Derbyshire, Shoaib!