Inspired by Shane Warne and honed by Abdul Qadir, Yasir Shah returns to the Pakistan side for Thursday’s second Test against England confident he can tip the balance between the two sides.
The 29-year-old missed last week’s draw in Abu Dhabi because of a back spasm suffered on the day before the series opener and, with replacement Zafar Gohar unable to secure a visa in time, the captain Misbah-ul-Haq was forced to field three seamers against his wishes.
It was a blow to Pakistan on the eve of the first Test, with Yasir widely tipped to provide the greatest threat to England’s greenhorn batting lineup following a breakthrough 12 months in which his wrist-spin has claimed 61 victims in just 10 Test matches.
Rating his fitness level at “95%” two days out from the second Test, Yasir appeared relaxed when speaking, through a translator, about the levels of expectation placed on him and talked up his chances of having an impact this series.
Yasir said: “Sometimes there is pressure but it is a privilege as well. People are talking about me; I’m happy about that. I will keep working hard and hopefully I will do something special. Had I been able to play [in the first Test] Pakistan might have been able to get some wickets in the first innings and England might have been in a different position.”
Yasir, who hails from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region in the of north-west of Pakistan, was drawn to bowling leg-breaks after watching Warne dominate Ashes cricket on the television growing up. It is a weakness he believes could still exist.
“Warne is the one I admire. I started bowling after watching him in a match on television. I’ve not worked with him but I met him once during the World Cup and he appreciated my bowling style and told me how I could improve my bowling further.
“In the past history England have been struggling against Warne – they couldn’t play something exceptional in Ashes series. I’ve been following the Ashes and while it is on my mind, I have my own plans and I’ve been working on them also.”
The great Australian may have planted the seed for Yasir but the right-armer’s skipping approach to the crease before delivering the ball has drawn greater comparisons with his compatriot Qadir, the former Pakistan leg-spinner credited with keeping the art form alive during the late 1970s and 80s.
Their styles are coincidental, insists Yasir, although the pair have work together at the Pakistan Academy in the past. In addition to this, the knowledge of Mushtaq Ahmed is also available to be mined, with the former England spin-bowling coach part of Waqar Younis’s current set-up.
“Qadir is one of the great legends of Pakistan cricket and I have always asked his opinion. I’ve been working with Mushy and been a big help for me too. The best thing he’s passed on to me is that I need a repeatable action.”
Yasir is not the only leg-spinner on show in this series, of course, with England’s Adil Rashid bouncing back from his none for 163 in the first innings in Abu Dhabi by taking five for 64 as Pakistan collapsed second time around.
Asked for his take on the Yorkshireman’s debut, he replied: “The difference in Adil Rashid’s bowling is that he’s a little bit slower in the air compared with other leg-spinners. So when there’s no spin in the pitch he couldn’t get that much help. On the last day when there is turn, then he was effective.”
Their impending head-to-head, on a Dubai pitched tipped to turn much earlier in the match than Abu Dhabi, will be fascinating.
