Former England captain Michael Vaughan has voiced concerns that the County Championship is being overlooked for England Test selection, particularly questioning the decision to choose Shoaib Bashir over Jack Leach for the West Indies Tests.
Bashir was included in England's XI for the opening Test against the West Indies, which also marked James Anderson's farewell Test. Jack Leach, once England's first-choice spinner, was not selected despite making a comeback in county cricket after recovering from an injury.
Vaughan remarked that England seems to be selecting players who aren't first-choice for their counties. On The Vaughany and Tuffers podcast, Vaughan commented, "They are not considering county cricket. Shoaib Bashir isn’t the first-choice spinner at Somerset; that’s Jack Leach. Similarly, Ben Foakes is the first-choice keeper at Surrey, not Jamie Smith. It appears England is ignoring county cricket as a benchmark for international selection."
Last month, Bashir faced a tough challenge when Dan Lawrence scored 38 runs off a single over from him, including five consecutive sixes, tying the record for the most runs conceded in one over in first-class cricket. Vaughan believes that Leach should be preferred when England tours Australia for the next Ashes series in 2025/26.
Vaughan expressed his thoughts on the selection, stating that the choice of Bashir over Leach is particularly interesting. He would have opted for Leach, considering his established position as England's top spinner. Vaughan acknowledged Bashir's talent and potential as a second spinner in a two-man spin attack, but highlighted that Leach has earned his place as England's No.1 spinner.
In Australia, Vaughan pointed out, a left-arm spinner like Leach would be effective against the predominantly right-handed Australian batting lineup. He referenced the success of other left-arm spinners, such as Maharaj and Tufnell, in Australia, indicating that left-arm spin could be a strong strategy down under.