IICRC, in last decade, PAK has won six Tests outside Asia excluding Bobby Mughabe’s Zimbabwe & Ireland. Two against WIN, three against ENG & one against NZ (that too almost 10 years back).
In those five Tests (I exclude the NZ one, which was before Yasir’s debut), Yasir has played four .... and has taken 31 wickets at an average of 21 in those four wins, with four 5fors & one 10for. A performing Yasir is that important for PAK out side Asia.
He is over aged, over weight & unfit, hence I see some people had the guts to pull him down, otherwise in last 6 years, without Yasir how many Tests PAK could have won in and outside Asia could be a research topic.
Fantastic leg spinner, the best of his generation who was drafted at least 6 years later than it should have been, otherwise guy could have been first Pakistani bowler to take 500 Test wickets. In PAK domestics where they play less FC overs than even BD domestics, he was debuted after 270+ FC wickets and probably into his 12th year of FC career, which was punishable crime.
Most people don’t have much clue how a leg spinner works - I give just one clue as food for thought: in his career Yasir has bowled over 80% overs against the wind for a predominantly 3+1 bowling combination, which allowed PCT management to keep their pacers in one piece. I read lots of rubbish about his 1-200 sort of figures ..... in batting innings over 500-600 runs where batting side declared - it only tells me that in a rubbish bowling effort these guy kept bowling tirelessly from one end. Otherwise, when you play three pacers, unless they are rubbish, you don’t expect your leggi to bowl 40% overs in first innings.
[MENTION=132916]Junaids[/MENTION] - I understand he lost the Old Trafford Test in 2016 for his 54-6-213-1 effort in a first innings of 589-8d - there were three other pacers bowling in that innings that including the guy England “fears” - Mohammad Amir ..... what the f*** those three did using the fresh OT track on first two days and why should a leggi bowl 54 overs out of 152, in first innings for a 3+1 combination including 31 overs on day 1 itself?
Let me preface my point by stating that Yasir Shah is very much in the autumn of his career. I've always found the vehement criticism he gets from Pakistani fans quite strange, given his general record for his country. I agree that he needs to get in better shape, and most importantly, believe in his own ability again. His last two years don't merit him being selected, but no other spinners have kicked the door down either.
Now, [MENTION=132916]Junaids[/MENTION] tends to have these hills that he chooses to die on. One of those prominent hills is the myth that there is this *huge* gap differential between what Yasir and Shadab offer.
He will use stats ad infinetum to make his point about how much a star Shadab was in 2017 and how Yasir, outside of Asia is a complete burden, without actually using some qualitative analysis.
Bowling attacks are most effective when they complement each other, and whilst Shah could most definitely do better in SENA, a lot of the time his role has been very unclear overseas. Does he attack? Does he defend? Is he the chief wicket taker? How do the quicks play around him? In SENA, his role has both been unclear and he's been bowled into the ground. 30 overs a day using a leg spinners action is brutal, by any viewpoint. And he's bowling those because Pak have to pad up their batting with the extra bat.
This same tactical fogginess will inhibit Shadab as well, except that he doesn't have a consistent test length and a stock delivery to fall back on, if (when) a Butler, Stokes or Crawley take him on. How could he? The lad has learnt his trade using reactive bowling techniques in T20, rather than using patience, planning and anticipation to get a batsmen out, skills honed in FC. But he can bat!!! So let's pick him!
And let's not discount the personality that Yasir Shah brings to the dressing room. He's a character and definitely a fighter, a component that every test team needs. He's also generally a stubborn batsmen, and in series which might take place during a heatwave, crease occupation to tire the English quicks could having a bearing on the matches.
In closing, based on his recent performances, I'm not expecting much. But I'm also hoping InshAllah that Yasir proves us all wrong. It's his last couple of years in the Pakistan team, and I want him to go out with a bang.
)
) Typical stubborn northerner!!
I am interested to see if both leggies will bowl together, not sure that will be ideal for Pak, but it would certainly be a great spectacle, not seen two leggies bowl in pairs for a while
