England player Bashir signs for Derbyshire after Ashes exile

England winger Shoaib Bashir has joined Derbyshire on a two-year deal, the County Championship side announced on Thursday.

Bashir moved to the second tier after his contract with domestic rivals Somerset ended.

Despite being England’s only front-row player in the Ashes squad, Bashir did not feature in a recent 4-1 series defeat despite team management repeatedly stressing his suitability for Australian conditions in the build-up to the tour.

Bashir remained on the sidelines in Australia, with England opting for the lively Will Jacks in a bid to bolster their batting.

It was an all-too-familiar situation for Bashir, who had struggled for game time on the south-west Somerset side behind left-arm spinner Jack Leach.

The emergence of the unusual Archie Vaughan, son of former England captain Michael Vaughan, at Somerset further limited Bashir’s chances at Taunton and led him to short loan spells with Worcestershire and Glamorgan in a bid to get more overs under his belt.

But the 22-year-old is now looking to revive his career at Midlands county Derbyshire, where a side under former South Africa, Australia and Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur narrowly missed out on promotion to the First Division last season.

“Derbyshire have a really exciting project going on and working with Mickey Arthur, one of the best coaches in the world, is a great opportunity for any young player,” Bashir said.

“I’m keen to play more red-ball cricket, continue my development in the white-ball formats and challenge for promotion with Derbyshire.”

Bashir has taken 68 wickets in 19 Tests since his India debut in February 2024 and became the youngest England bowler to reach 50 dismissals in May last year.

However, he has not featured for England since breaking a finger on his non-bowling hand against India at Lord’s in July.

Bashir remains under contract with England until the end of 2026 and Arthur has no doubts about his potential.

“To be able to bring in a current England international is really exciting,” said Arthur.

“He will bring great energy and experience to our locker room, even though he still has so much time to improve his game.”