England Spinner Bashir Ruled Out Rest of India Test Series with Broken Finger

England's 21-year-old off-spinner Shoaib Bashir has been ruled out of the remainder of the Test series against India due to a fracture in his left pinkie finger, sustained while fielding during the third Test at Lord's. Despite the injury, which affects his non-bowling hand, Bashir returned to take the final wicket securing England's 22-run victory, but is now scheduled for surgery and will miss upcoming matches, including the fourth Test at Old Trafford. His injury forces England to consider replacements, with candidates including left-arm spinners Jack Leach and Liam Dawson, and leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed, as well as the batting all-rounder Jacob Bethell, although the latter was previously ruled out as a spin option. Bashir's performance has been under scrutiny despite backing from captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, having taken 10 wickets at an average cost of 54.10 during the series, and he has not been the first-choice spinner at his county, Somerset. England is expected to announce their squad soon as they prepare for the next Test starting July 23.