In the early rounds of the championship season, there have been places up for grabs in the England team. But the focus has largely been on who will replace poor Zak Crawley as opener, the wicketkeeping position and the depth of seam-bowling stocks.
Incumbents, such as Ben Duckett and Jamie Smith, have shored up their places after poor Ashes tours. Fresh faces Emilio Gay, James Rew and Sonny Baker have pushed their credentials, and Sam Cook, Dom Sibley and Ollie Robinson have made cases for a recall.
There is one position that sits as an outlier, though. As the selectors, including Marcus North, prepare to meet this week to pick Test and Lions squads, the complicated question of who should bowl England’s spin this summer remains unresolved. Not only that, but the field is wide open.
The selectors’ task is not helped by the fact that few county pitches suit spinners in April and May and many teams, including the standard-bearers of recent years, Surrey, prefer to smuggle a spinner into their top six than select a specialist.
England made a mess of long-held spin-bowling plans last winter. In 2024, they discarded Jack Leach and invested in Shoaib Bashir, believing he could be a long-term lock and especially threatening in Australian conditions. But when they got to Australia, Bashir was overlooked for the first Test. Then, with England on the defensive, they hedged their bets with Will Jacks.
The all-rounder did not disgrace himself but was exposed on flat pitches in Adelaide and Sydney, while Bashir toiled away in the nets, a torrid tour’s forgotten man.
What now, then? Jacks and Bashir represent two paths England could follow: the all-rounder who bats No 8 and provides some spin, or the specialist.
It is understood England are expecting pitches to remain lifeless this summer, with host venues’ bottom lines vital. Against India last year, every Test went five days and, with the exception of the green-tinged surface at the Oval, this meant a specific role for spinners: plenty of grunt work while the seamers rest, but not much return. In five Tests, the great Ravindra Jadeja bowled 142 overs, taking just seven wickets at 72. In three matches, Bashir bowled 140 overs, picking up 10 at 54, then Liam Dawson bowled 62 at Old Trafford alone, taking one for 140.
A romanticism around spin bowling and the relatively recent excellence of Graeme Swann mean English cricket has high expectations of its tweakers, but in an era of effortless six-hitting and dull home pitches, it is a thankless task. Whichever one of the below gets a go, expectation should be measured.