WATCH: Shoaib Bashir reveals his funny banter with Mohammad Rizwan during Multan Test

WATCH- Shoaib Bashir reveals his funny banter with Mohammad Rizwan during Multan Test (Source – Getty Images)

England spinners Shoaib Bashir and Rehan Ahmed recently spoke about their Urdu speaking skills and how they tried to decipher the Pakistani team talking in the middle of the match. Bashir also shared a funny incident involving Pakistan’s wicketkeeper, Mohammad Rizwan.

During the ongoing England-Pakistan Test series, where Bashir, who has made a significant impact in the series with six wickets under his belt, found himself at the receiving end of some clever behind-the-stumps tactics. He revealed that he may not have good verbal skills in the Urdu language, but he can understand everything while listening to Pakistan players talking in the middle of the Multan Test. Hilarious enough, when he went out to bat, Rizwan, the wicketkeeper of the hosts, showed his cunning side by telling his teammates about Bashir knowing Urdu language.

Hence to bamboozle the English spinner of Pakistani origin, he asked his players to start talking in the Pashto language. Notably, the language is one of the regional dialects spoken in the Asian nation.

“I can understand everything and I can reply, but it’s a bit broken. Sometimes the Pakistan team are speaking in their own language and we’re trying to get hints. I’ll go to Ben Stokes and say ‘he’s going to slog it over mid-wicket. I went out to bat, Mohammad Rizwan was behind the stumps and he likes talking. As soon as I went out he said ‘This guy understands Urdu, let’s speak Pashto’, and I had no idea what was being said,” Bashir said while speaking to BBC Sport.

Pakistan was my second team: Shoaib Bashir

Shoaib Bashir, who has Pakistani parents with his mother born in the UK, expressed his primary loyalty to England while maintaining a soft spot for Pakistan. Both players were born in England but share strong Pakistani roots and admitted to having a working knowledge of Urdu.

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“I was born in England, so I’ve always been an England fan. Whenever Pakistan played India or whoever, I supported Pakistan. I loved watching the Ashes and highlights of England cricket. Pakistan was my second team,” Bashir added.

“My Urdu is not too bad. It’s all right. I can try to hold a conversation, but it would be a bit mixed. I can understand everything,” Rehan said.

Meanwhile, with the three-match series heading to the final Test in Rawalpindi, Bashir and Ahmed will partner up with Jack Leach to form England’s three-pronged spin attack.