Geoffrey Boycott Advises Shoaib Bashir to Emulate Nathan Lyon’s Bowling
Geoffrey Boycott, the legendary England opener, has urged promising off-spinner Shoaib Bashir to emulate the bowling techniques of Nathan Lyon, whom he considers the preeminent off-spinner in contemporary cricket.
Since his debut in India earlier this year, Bashir has claimed 29 wickets in seven Tests. However, he failed to make an impact in the second innings of the series opener against Sri Lanka at Manchester, as the batters effectively countered his variations by advancing down the pitch.
Boycott believes that Bashir possesses the talent to improve significantly. He highlights Bashir’s height and fluid action, which can generate bounce on hard surfaces and impart natural loop to his deliveries. However, he suggests that Bashir needs to refine his line and length consistency.
“My impression is he is not clear on what line he should be bowling so he tries all sorts of deliveries searching for a wicket,” Boycott wrote in his column for The Telegraph.
Boycott recommends that Bashir study videos of Lyon’s bowling. He notes that Lyon bowls close to the stumps, allowing him to drift the ball away from the batsman while aiming to pitch outside off stump and spin it back into the stumps.
“His straight-on ball brings slip in play and he has a short square leg for the bat/pad nick. That way he can beat right-handers inside and outside of the bat,” Boycott explained.
Boycott emphasizes the importance of matching line with length, as great bowlers must be able to control both aspects. He also advises Bashir to develop a stock ball that he can rely on to keep batters in check during Test matches.
“I think Shoaib has to learn that he can’t always go searching for wickets, admirable as that is, because it can become expensive,” Boycott wrote. “Sometimes when two opposition batsmen get set on a flat batting pitch the seamers are given the best end and the spinner the worst end. They are asked to bowl uphill or against the wind to do a holding job, keeping the batsmen quiet and runs to a minimum. That is why he needs a good stock ball.”
England currently hold a 1-0 lead in the three-match series against Sri Lanka. The second Test will be played at Lord’s on August 29, followed by the series finale at The Oval on September 6.
