Shoaib Bashir has outlined his ambition to become England's leading spinner despite being overlooked during their 4-1 defeat in the Ashes by Australia over the winter. 

Bashir was named as England's only front-line spinner for the series Down Under but did not feature in any of the five Tests, with all-rounder Will Jacks preferred throughout. 

The 22-year-old has played in 19 Test matches since his first call-up in December 2023, taking 68 wickets across 33 innings while conceding 2,652 runs in just under 700 overs.

He was continually backed despite some inconsistent displays, along with fellow compatriot Jack Leach being preferred to him at Somerset.

England are next in action on June 4 in the first of three Test matches against New Zealand, which are their first fixtures since their semi-final exit from the T20 World Cup. 

"I've got a massive ambition to play for England," said Bashir, who has switched counties from Somerset to Derbyshire to secure more playing time.

"It's the most special thing and the most honourable thing that you can do, so I'll do anything in my power to try and improve."

Two balls into his first Derbyshire spell…

Wicket for Shoaib Bashir!!#WeAreDerbyshire pic.twitter.com/3D1kbgqy1D

— Derbyshire CCC (@DerbyshireCCC) March 26, 2026

Bashir struggled when he did play in practice matches in Australia – his two wickets cost more than five runs per over in the warm-up before the first Test.

He took 0-115 in a match against Australia A, though England captain Ben Stokes insisted during the series that Bashir remained his number one spinner. 

"Obviously, it was very situational, and the team was selected on a game-to-game basis and spin didn't play a massive part in the Ashes," Bashir added.

"I'm in communication with the England management a lot and I feel that they're keeping an eye on me and seeing how I'm improving and tracking the things that I'm learning."

After warming the bench and carrying drinks in Australia, Bashir, whose last England appearance was nine months ago after breaking a finger on his non-bowling hand against India, flew out to Zimbabwe for a specialist camp with former Pakistan spinner Mushtaq Ahmed.

"I just wanted to get some time to spend with him and, honestly, I learned a lot," Bashir said of the link-up with Mushtaq, who was part of England's coaching staff at the Under-19 World Cup in Zimbabwe.

"I only spent a week with him and I learned a lot about my action, really small technical tweaks that have helped me in pre-season. I'm looking forward to working on those because I feel like they will make a massive difference."