England won't be afraid to play all spinners: Brendon McCullum

Brendon McCullum said England “won't be afraid to play all spinners” if and when needed during the five-match Test series against India. After having registered an impressive win in Hyderabad, the England Test coach said there’s a possibility of offspinner Shoaib Bashir making his debut in the second encounter in Visakhapatnam.

The 20-year-old finally joined the squad on Sunday after missing the first Test due to visa issues. Bashir, who is of Pakistan descent, was due to travel with the team to India from Abu Dhabi, where England held a training camp ahead of the Test series, but was left stranded due to visa issues. He eventually had to return to England to sort out this issue.

England have arrived in Visakhapatnam for the second Test, which will start on Friday (February 2). Jack Leach, who could bowl only 10 overs in the second inning due to a heavily bruised knee, is doubtful for the second game. Meanwhile, paceman Mark Wood bowled only 25 overs in the first Test.

"Bash, he was obviously with us during our camp in Abu Dhabi and he really impressed with his skillset. He fitted in seamlessly within the group and he's a guy who's got an immense amount of enthusiasm, albeit at a young age and pretty limited in his first-class experience,” McCullum told SENZ radio.

"Like Tom Hartley, he was a guy who we looked at and we thought he's got some skills which could assist us in these conditions. The visa situation, that's just life, right? Sometimes that happens and everyone was doing everything that they could to try and resolve the situation. There's just some red tape you've got to cut through at times.

"When he arrived, boys gave him a huge cheer and he got to witness something pretty special with the fellas bowling us to a Test win. He comes into calculations for the next Test match. If the wickets continue to spin as much as what we saw in the first Test as the series goes on, look, we won't be afraid to play all spinners, or a balance of what we've got."

The head coach also heaped heavy praise on skipper Ben Stokes for handling Hartley with care in the first innings. Yashasvi Jaiswal smoked his very first delivery for a six and the left-arm spinner finished with figures of 2/131 in 25 overs in the first innings. Stokes, however, kept backing him and it paid off in the second innings. The debutant scalped seven wickets and propelled England to a historic win.

"He's only played a handful of first-class games and was probably a bit of a punt, selection-wise. But we saw something in him that we thought would work over there and he's a tough character.

"The way that the skipper handled him was quite remarkable and he obviously brought us to a Test win… I thought that was a real sign of leadership. It was a clear message to not just Tom, but those that are around the squad, that when we talk about freedom, taking the game on and trying to come in and make a difference, you're not going to be cast aside or taken off the crease from the first sign of danger.

"I thought it was a magnificent decision by the skipper to do that. And I think it allowed Tom to feel like he belonged and he knew what his role was. It came up trumps in the end, but you've got to have a bit of a punt sometimes. And this one came off."

Despite having taken only 40 wickets in first-class cricket prior to this Test, England decided to take a punt on the youngster and it paid off in some style.  "But let's not forget - and I think this is quite a pertinent point - but Nathan Lyon, he'd only played a handful of first-class games and averaged 40-odd when he first got picked for Australia. And he's gone on to have a fabulous career.

"When you see guys you think are good enough, and who you think are going to suit the conditions, it's sort of horses for courses. You've got to back your judgement… no-one ever foresees 7 for 60-odd on debut, or nine for the match, or 60-odd runs, a run-out and a catch. But sometimes, you've got to be a little bit brave with selections. If you like a character and you like their skillset and you think it can be suited to conditions, then it's kind of an educated punt."