5 Potential Replacements for Shoaib Bashir ahead of England v India 4th Test
Will Jackson 
Shoaib Bashir took the final wicket on Monday to cap off an enthralling third Test and edge England ahead 2-1 in the five-match series against India, but it came at a cost.
The 21-year-old had been nursing a badly broken hand since the first innings, when dropping a caught-and-bowled chance forced him from the pitch and restricted his involvement in the rest of the game.
He returned with the ball as the game reached its climax, trusted by captain Ben Stokes with trying to winkle out the final wicket as Ravi Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj threatened to inch India over the line in a nail-biting finish.
As it was, Bashir ended up being the hero as Siraj played the ball onto his stumps to put England 2-1 ahead and make them overwhelming favourites to win the series with online betting sites, with games at Old Trafford and the Oval to come.
But they will have to do without Bashir for those final two games, with the Somerset spinner ruled out of the remainder of the series thanks to a broken finger/hand, leaving a spot up for grabs in the XI. Despite this news, the latest Cricket betting odds show England at just 3/10 to win the series.
Bashir has not been without his critics since being elevated to the England side - he is kept out of his county side by Jack Leach, who he in turn is keeping out of the England side - so it could present an opportunity for England to strengthen their spin-bowling resources.
But who are the options available to Stokes and Brendon McCullum? Here Free Bets our cricket expert Will Jackson has had a closer look at the spin-bowling resources at England's disposal.
Jack Leach
Leach has played second fiddle to Bashir for some time now, despite being a favourite of Stokes in the early days of his captaincy reign.
It is a curious balance for the two, with Leach preferred by Somerset even when both players are available, yet Bashir the number one for the national team and forced to seek opportunities elsewhere on the county circuit when he is available.
Leach's numbers are hardly inspiring. Under Stokes he has taken 56 wickets at 38.01 with an economy of 3.32, and compared to Bashir (61 wickets at 36.06 and an economy of 3.83), he actually comes off second best.
He also has a poor record against India and has been targeted by Rishabh Pant before, so while it would appear to be the sensible, conservative option to pick Leach, it is perhaps not as straightforward as that.
England don't do 'straightforward' decisions in selection anymore, but with 32 wickets in the County Championship so far this season he would be the man at the front of the queue.
Jacob Bethell
We've mentioned that England like to take a slightly different approach to selection, and that would be perfectly encapsulated by a call-up for starlet Jacob Bethell.
The youngster has thrilled on the white-ball scene this summer and made a huge impression in his debut Test series over the winter in New Zealand, but that has all been with the bat.
He does intriguingly offer a left-arm spin option that could provide a change of pace for Stokes and lessen the workload on Joe Root whose own spin is often underused, but while Bethell's left-arm darts can be effective in white-ball cricket, he has yet to prove he can be an option with the red ball in Tests.
You feel England are looking for a way to get Bethell into the side so it wouldn't be a huge surprise if he slots in down the order, lengthens the batting line-up and chips in with a few overs here and there in a series that hasn't seen spin on either side play a major role so far.
However the teams head to Old Trafford next, and that is a ground that is famous for taking spin so it would be a bit of a risk to go in without a frontline slow bowler, but with pitches in Australia less and less conducive to spin, it could be a hint as to how they intend to balance their side in this winter's Ashes.
Liam Dawson
The Liam Dawson bandwagon is likely to gain even more momentum over the coming days, such has been the clamour for the Hampshire all-rounder to be recognised in the whites of England.
After three years out of the international setup despite his remarkable domestic form, Dawson was recalled to the T20 side this summer and took five wickets in three matches - including 4-20 on his comeback - to show he is not totally out of the equation.
However it has felt for some time that his face might simply not fit in the current England setup - how else would you explain the continued refusal to pick a player who scored 1,280 runs last season and took 71 wickets across all formats to be named as one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year in 2024?
It has been a period of sustained excellence in four-day cricket for Dawson, who can count himself unlucky to have only played three Tests so far in his career.
At 35 he would represent a bit of a stop-gap most likely, but he is good with the bat and gives nothing away with the ball - a genuine all-rounder who could slot in easily at number eight - and has a plucky attitude, he would not let England down, but is he a sexy enough selection for the current management team?
Rehan Ahmed
If Dawson isn't a 'sexy' pick, then Rehan Ahmed undoubtedly is.
He is the maverick legspinner who made his Test debut as a teenager in Pakistan and took five wickets, and has 22 in his five Tests to date at an average of 31.22.
Those are pretty good numbers, even if every game has been played on the sub-continent, where conditions are famously more conducive to spin.
He is clearly fancied within the setup, having been included in countless white and red-ball squads over the past few years even if he still only has 21 international appearances to his name - he has been around so long already that it's easy to forget he is still only 20.
The allure of a legspinner - particularly at Old Trafford where they have historically fared well - is huge to all cricket fans so there is plenty of goodwill towards Rehan, but it can't be denied that his bowling has taken more of a backseat this season.
That's with good reason though, as he has developed into a top-order batter for Leicetsershire with real flair, scoring 500 runs at 41.66 and a strike-rate of 72.35 so far this season - including three centuries.
Rehan will be around for years to come, but he looks more at home as a second spinner at this stage of his career and someone who would bat at six or seven. It would be a very popular selection, but given his lack of bowling this season the timing doesn't feel right.
Keep an eye on his younger brother Farham Ahmed too, he is likely to be in the conversation sooner rather than later.
Tom Hartley
Farhan could be ahead of Tom Hartley in the pecking order, but the Lancashire spinner is quickly becoming the forgotten man of the England Test side.
He was something of a bolter when selected to travel India last year, but he responded well with 22 wickets in the series including a match-winning 7/62 in the first Test.
Much was made of the release points of Hartley and Bashir ahead of that tour and it appears increasingly likely that he was picked solely for his action and height, which means we might not see much more of him outside of similar series.
He has been short of action with the red ball for Lancashire so far this season so hardly has the numbers to force his name into the conversation, but you'd feel he would not let England down should they come calling and at least with his height he would offer a point of difference.
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It's 2-1 England, things are getting tasty, and the best news of all, is that we've got another two Tests to come.
