What's new

Can Yasir Shah get 500 Test wickets before he retires?

Rana

Hall of Famer
Joined
Jan 18, 2006
Runs
86,086
I want him to play until he is 45. I recon he will get it and become Pakistan’s all time leading wicket taker and deservingly so! What do you guys think?
 
Leggies are like quicks.. dont last long.. too much wear and tear!
I dont think he will end up playing more than another 30-35 tests before he retires.. so it will be hard to get to 400
 
Pakistan don't play enough test matches to make this prospect even remotely realistic. I think Yasir will have done immensely well if he takes 350 test wickets. Fitness concerns are only going to increase over the following years.
 
Shah is currently 32. Knowing Pakistani players and his importance to the side in winning Test matches for them, he isn’t going anywhere for the next 8 years at least.

8 years to get 305 wickets.
 
Question is whether Yasir Shah can stay fit until then. I would like to see him play till 40 because I don’t think Shadab can be his successor because he isn’t of the same calibre.
 
300-350 is a realistic target. Yasir will never be a leading wicket taker of all time for his country because we dont get many trsts and he isbalso 32. He should target ither goals that can cement his status in history.. such as most MOM awards of fifers or a better average..
 
Its really depends on how many more year he can play and how many test matches Pakistan will play in those years. Both are uncertain right now.
 
What an expectation? He didn't even have 200 wickets and also we don't play too many tests, plus we over bowl him to burn out.
I will be happy if he gets even 350 wickets which is highly unlikely. UAE pitches are not like minefield like Bangladesh and India.
 
He’s not playing odis so why not
Give him a goal and now he’s lost weight , the tests can’t come around quick enough for him
 
No, we don't play anywhere near enough Tests. 300-350 is more likely.
 
I think around 250. We don't play that many Tests. He's on the worn side of 30, and his effectiveness outside ideal conditions is questionable.
 
I think around 250. We don't play that many Tests. He's on the worn side of 30, and his effectiveness outside ideal conditions is questionable.
250 is inevitable

350 is pushing his limits but I think he can get to 400 and then battle through for this achievement
 
Could easily play another 4-5 years, so I'd say he can get 400. 500 is probably a little too much.
 
Maybe not but he will def be the best spinner in last 10 years imho and a treat to watch luckily I was watching during his top performances.

PCT is so lucky with these great individual inspiring bowling performances from Imran ,Wasim, Waqar, Saqlain, Shoaib and now Yasir.
 
I don't see him crossing 400 wickets due to his age and Pakistan's priority towards tests.
 
Pakistan is confirming its legacy for prpducing not just great fast bowlers but also leggies.. qadir, mushy, kaneria, afridi and now yasir. I dont think any other nation has produced such quality spinners with such regularity.. although i myself think afridi and kaneria were not greats but just average leggies..
 
play till 45?

You say that now, but wait till he is 38 and has a bad 6 month stretch. Fans, media, experts will all be calling for his retirement, and probably rightfully so. Especially because there will probably be a 22 year old leggie tearing it up in domestic by then that everyone will want in the team

He's at the top of his game right now, just enjoy it.
 
Last edited:
I think 400 test wickets would be a terrific achievement considering he debuted at 28 and the fact that Pakistan do not play that many test matches as compared to England, Australia, India
 
Yasir's real age is probably more than 32. He has realistically 3 to 4 years at the most considering the load he takes on being the only spinner and also because he's a leg spinner. So he has about 40 tests left. If he picks an average of 4 to 5 wickets per test, which by the way is gold standard, he can get to 400 maximum. This is if Pak plays 10 tests a year which I'm not sure of.
 
Yeah i would be happy if he gets 300.. i think he is already one of our bowling greats for some of the wins he has helped us bag.. he is an astounding talent.. can turn a game on its head in a spell. Thats a true halmark of a great player.. stats with tons of eickets matter .. sure but the oomph factor cant be ignored..

People like him, flintoff, klusener, shoaib, saeed anwar, etc are those x type players and they are very rare in cricket these days..
 
Don't think he will end up with more than 350 but that will still be a heck of an achievement. 300+ test wickets are not to be underestimated.
 
Considering we are not playing many test matches next year it is unlikely he will get close to 500
 
PCB needs go organise filler Test matches against Afghanistan and Ireland. The 500 would be on!
 
PCB needs go organise filler Test matches against Afghanistan and Ireland. The 500 would be on!
Good point, and even Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. We are hardly playing any test cricket next year and these are Yasir’s prime years.
 
Last edited:
His run up and action is zippy, thats why he is quality bowler. But that puts too much stress on shoulders and hips.
Leg spinners retire at batsman's age. Fall from peak at 34-35. Stretch upto 36-37.
Dont think any leggie played till 40 in recent times. Warne/kumble/macgill retired before 38.
 
Considering his age, fitness, and the fact that we aren't play a lot of UAE Tests beyond the next one - or Tests in general for that matter - I'd say he should first aim to break Kaneria's record, and then reach 300. Anything after that is a bonus.

300+ in itself will be amazing.
 
Good point, and even Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. We are hardly playing any test cricket next year and these are Yasir’s prime years.

And if Yasir gets to 500 because of these jobber Test matches, the Pakistan fans would be well within their rights to brag about it because its not their fault that the ICC would like to give England, India and Australia 15 Test matches a year whereas Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies etc only get 7-10 a year
 
Question is whether Yasir Shah can stay fit until then. I would like to see him play till 40 because I don’t think Shadab can be his successor because he isn’t of the same calibre.

Not a fair comment that on Shadab.

He's only 20 years old, wait till he turns 26-27, that's when leg spinners age. He has a lot of time to learn.
 
Not a fair comment that on Shadab.

He's only 20 years old, wait till he turns 26-27, that's when leg spinners age. He has a lot of time to learn.

You might be right but I actually envisage his batting developing faster than his leg spin bowling in the longer format - after all his cricketing hero is Steve Smith. He should be encouraged to focus more on his batting (weaker aspect of the team) because it will more beneficial for the team and increase his chances of playing tests regularly - which if he can nail that could be fantastic for Pakistan because he's captain material for me. The guy has guts and has an intelligent cricket brain, so bright test future ahead for sure!
 
And if Yasir gets to 500 because of these jobber Test matches, the Pakistan fans would be well within their rights to brag about it because its not their fault that the ICC would like to give England, India and Australia 15 Test matches a year whereas Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies etc only get 7-10 a year

Bilateral series are not assigned by the ICC. That decision will be taken by the PCB itself.

So if these "jobber tests" happens, PPers will call it minnowbashing. And rightly so.
 
I do not think it is likely.

Yasir is not fittest player in the team , and Pakistan playing very few Tests every year.
 
Inn Sha Allah hope is there. It is mandatory for him to get 500 wicket mark not only for him but for Pakistan as nobody has done it for Pakistan.

In fast bowling we have so many names but in spinning department we are lagging way behind.

Qadir, Mushtaq, Saqlain, Danish, Ajmal all underachieved.
 
Bilateral series are not assigned by the ICC. That decision will be taken by the PCB itself.

So if these "jobber tests" happens, PPers will call it minnowbashing. And rightly so.

Well we would love to bash giants such as India but they need government approval so we make the most out of what we can.

Ireland, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe want Test match experience and we should be willing to provide it for them. Exactly how India are willing to fill in the void of a gruelling schedule of a bilateral between Them and Pakistan by filling in with Sri Lanka and West Indies more often than not
 
Well we would love to bash giants such as India but they need government approval so we make the most out of what we can.

Ireland, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe want Test match experience and we should be willing to provide it for them. Exactly how India are willing to fill in the void of a gruelling schedule of a bilateral between Them and Pakistan by filling in with Sri Lanka and West Indies more often than not

I'm not saying anything. Play anyone you wish to play. If its a top team its a top team. If it's a minnow its minnowbashing. Just like it is for everyone else. Can't be special rules only for PCT players.
 
I'm not saying anything. Play anyone you wish to play. If its a top team its a top team. If it's a minnow its minnowbashing. Just like it is for everyone else. Can't be special rules only for PCT players.

Yasir would get 500 wickets if giants fill in instead of minnows. He will just get there a tad slower.
 
Yasir would get 500 wickets if giants fill in instead of minnows. He will just get there a tad slower.

No ifs ands or buts in cricket. If he gets there playing mostly top teams then he gets there. If he doesn't then he doesn't. Simple as that.
 
No ifs ands or buts in cricket. If he gets there playing mostly top teams then he gets there. If he doesn't then he doesn't. Simple as that.

Its not about ifs and Buts. He will get there. Kumble took 500 wickets and Harbajhan took 400+

Yasir Shah is a better than both IMO.
 
fixed. Good luck with that. :19:

When I said Kumble took 500 instead of 619, I meant Kumble broke the 500 barrier and Yasir Shah in terms of Quality is better than him.

My word, Yasir should be in the 7-800 barrier if Kumble took 619
 
Yasir should be in the 7-800 barrier

Well, you've called it. Best of luck. :19:

Yasir should be in the 800 category with Murali. However...by some chance if he ends up with, say, half as many...what would that mean? Let's hope he gets to 800 rather than ending up being known as "half as good as Murali"....
 
Last edited:
Well, you've called it. Best of luck. :19:

Yasir should be in the 800 category with Murali. However...by some chance if he ends up with, say, half as many...what would that mean? Let's hope he gets to 800 rather than ending up being known as "half as good as Murali"....

It would mean that he didnt play as much as Warne and Murali did. Some of your fans claim Ashwin is a deadlier bowler than both in Asian conditions.
 
I think around 350 and if he plays long enough can get to 400 as well.
 
Yes you are about right!!

He should target 400, first spinner ever form Pakistan to reach that!!

500 not possible, Pak plays less matches than others, no matches in home ground, and Yasir is less successful on faster pitches!!
 
Back
Top