[VIDEOS] "My recent performances are based upon the conditions that I have played in" : Yasir Shah

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[VIDEOS] "My recent performances are based upon the conditions that I have played in" : Yasir Shah

Yasir Shah speaking to the press:

"I would like to thank the Almighty that some very good teams have started to visit Pakistan; First we had the Sri Lanka and Bangladesh sides now South Africa are here as well, which is a big challenge for us"

"As far as my performances are concerned, it is to do with conditions where we have played - so last 6-7 series have been in places like England, New Zealand and Australia (non spin friendly conditions)"

"If we talk about my performances against South Africa in the past, then my role there has been to support the fast-bowlers and to save runs; Because of this, performances have been good but not the kind where I was taking 5fers/10fers in matches lile before"

"Fitness is not an issue for me, and I have improved my fitness further for this series as well; Its good that we have some new spinners with us who have done well in domestic cricket, and its good to practice alongside them in the nets"

"Its my wish to play as much as I can for Pakistan and take as many wickets as possible"

"We have some good spinners in the squad; If you look at Nauman Ali, he is an experienced bowler with a lot of domestic cricket experience and has been performing well last year and this year too; Sajid Khan has some excellent variations in his bowling, his ball rotation and flight is impressive and he is a good spinner"

"Keshav Maharaj is a good spinner and could cause problems for our batsmen"

"Saqlain Mushtaq is here and helping us and is giving tips during the time when I am bowling in the nets, and is also advising me on my repeatable action, and we have also done some drills with him today; So its very useful for us that he is here"

"Wicket at the NSK does support spinners so hopefully it will be good for us here"

"There are always ups and downs when it comes to ones performance; If you look at the stats in 2020 (international cricket), I am the leading wicket taker in all bowlers; I am making efforts on my variations, including work on overspin; In New Zealand, I bowled 37 overs in one innings and took 3 wickets also; My role was to help fast-bowlers but even then I took 3 wickets"

"My bowling is going well during our preparations and hopefully I will do well when the Test matches start"

"Usually in Tests, the ball doesnt break in the first 2 days or so, but this should not be an excuse for us; If we bowl first then we will have to do well; This is the difference between good bowlers and others; You do well if you bowl with the right line and length, and with variations regardless of which day of the Test you are bowling in"

"When you support fast-bowlers, then you also can go for runs as the batsmen attack the spinner; I am working with Saqlain Mushtaq on this in our team meetings and planning ahead, so hopefully results will be good"

"I dont think I am that old at 34 and I am hoping to outperform youngsters in this series"

 

[UzmanBeast]

I completely agree. Those who bash Yasir Shah for being a poor spinner need to realize two things: he is overbowled in almost every single test match, and secondly, he's a wrist spinner, a naturally attacking bowling option. The minute you tell a wrist spinner to keep things tight and defend is the point where the opposition brings the onslaught to that spinner. Bowling defensive lines and lengths only means that you will concede more once the opposition figures out what you are doing.

Yasir's performances overseas are not totally his own fault. I will admit that in some situations, he could have bowled some better deliveries, but mostly, when have you seen teams tour SENA and bowl a spinner 37 overs in one innings? And then you get mad when he conceded runs.

A spinner is on the team for one reason, to attack and take wickets. You don't have to bowl in spin-friendly conditions to pick up wickets, it can be done on flat pitches as well. It's whether or not you have the intent and knowledge to do so.

In SENA, the bulk of the bowling should go to our pacers, yet when you play people like Naseem who can hardly give 15 overs in an innings, it's quite obvious that your spinner will be used more than he should. The plan to use Yasir in SENA should be quite simple, give him about three five over spells during different parts and tell him to attack and look for wickets. If he goes for runs, you can cut his spell down and bring him back later, but his goal should always be to attack. It's only Pakistan where you see a spinner being restrained from trying to take wickets and attack because we're so full of nonsense that our pace attack will take 10fers and 5fers. Look at Ashwin and Jadeja for India, did you see them ever trying to bowl defensively? They went to attack and take wickets, not to "support the fast bowlers". If your spinner can take 10 wickets and so can your fast-bowler, why would you try to stop the spinner from at least trying to do so?

It's a simple backwards philosophy in Pakistan cricket that the spinner is there to support the quicks, and that backwards thinking is seen in our bowling plans where Yasir, who is supposedly there only to "support" the fast bowlers, is bowled for 37 overs when our toothless fast-bowling attack fails to strike. Even for those 37 overs, of which most I watched, he was bowling defensive lengths and lines and was asked to keep the run rate in check.

Yasir is a world-class bowler, and I have not had the luxury to say that about the other names in our bowling lineup, but if our management can't see what he can do, that's just sad because you'd be wasting the only world-class resource of your bowling attack.

 

[Hyperion66]

Yeah right, his lack of skills and old age got nothing to do with it, just them damn conditions.

 

[Energy]

Yeah right, his lack of skills and old age got nothing to do with it, just them damn conditions.

It's a Pakistani thing of 'know it all'. Yasir sleeps at night thinking he can get 10/10 opposition wickets at will, but each time external forces prevent him from doing so.

 

[Titan24]

When one is such experienced international player he is expected to perform for his team irrespective of the conditions. One can accept bit of deviation in the performances based upon conditions but, in Yasir’s case the difference has been too much. In terms of support to the pacers, I think he should have been more tight with better economy.

He can easily look at Abdur Rehman’s performance in NZ in 2011, Indian spinners in Aus in the last series and quite a few other such examples. In my opinion he should be accepting the struggles and poor performances rather than shrugging them on the basis of different conditions.

Performances can go up and down but, I personally am not impressed by some of the Pakistani players making excuses and blaming everything else other than themselves. Yasir has been a quality performer for Pak at home over the years but, will have to first accept that his overseas performances havent been upto the mark to improve them. Without acknowledging the struggles he or any other player for that matter is never going to improve.

 

[Hasan123]

Not a great mentality to have . He is basically saying if the conditions don't favour me, I give up. A truly awful mentality.

 

[Saj]

Home series against a team that by and large struggles against high quality spin.

This could be the final curtain for Yasir if he flops.

 

[sharmaji]

I have a feeling Yasir will do extremely well in the upcoming series. SA batsmen (Except Faf) are not very good at playing spin for long hours. Yasir will get lots of wickets.

 

[hadi123]

Yasir Shah's average in SENA since 2016 (his debut) is around 55

Ravi Ashwin's average in SENA since 2016 (same year as Yasirs debut) is less than 30.

Levels.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

I don’t get the comments on this thread. He was very clear that despite the conditions he still bowled really well and took 3 wickets even against NZ.

He’s bound to go for 120 odd runs if he’s bowling 37 overs, that’s all he said.

I fully agree with him. He’s not making any excuses, he’s just being very clear so as to manage people’s expectations of him in SENA. There’s a difference.

Is it really his fault that he regularly bowls 30 overs on Days 1 and 2 in SENA?

 

[Ab Fan]

Pakistan should play two spinners in Asia.

 

[hitthestump]

I don’t get the comments on this thread. He was very clear that despite the conditions he still bowled really well and took 3 wickets even against NZ.

He’s bound to go for 120 odd runs if he’s bowling 37 overs, that’s all he said.

I fully agree with him. He’s not making any excuses, he’s just being very clear so as to manage people’s expectations of him in SENA. There’s a difference.

Is it really his fault that he regularly bowls 30 overs on Days 1 and 2 in SENA?

Maybe, but i think everyone can see that his skills aren't there like they were a few years ago. Hence his defensive response.

 

[Titan24]

I don’t get the comments on this thread. He was very clear that despite the conditions he still bowled really well and took 3 wickets even against NZ.

He’s bound to go for 120 odd runs if he’s bowling 37 overs, that’s all he said.

I fully agree with him. He’s not making any excuses, he’s just being very clear so as to manage people’s expectations of him in SENA. There’s a difference.

Is it really his fault that he regularly bowls 30 overs on Days 1 and 2 in SENA?

Yasir along with Shaheen might be less worse than the rest in Eng and NZ but, that cant hide the fact that despite this Yasir might not be the spin solution for SENA. Being better than 120 kph Abbas and under developed Naseem shouldn't be the standard. Even as a support bowler his economy was 5 in Aus (Avg 100), 3.76 in Eng (Avg 53) which isnt good enough. In NZ (Avg 44.67) his control was better though. Even in Pak vs Srl his economy was 3.85 and avg of 63. Yes when you bowl overs you will go for runs but, that should be at a controlled rate and wicket contributions.

Lets compare him with someone like Ashwin. Ashwin had economy of 2.81 in SA in 2017-18 and average of 30, economy of 1.72 in Aus in 2018 (1 match) and average of 24, economy of 2.58 in Aus in 2020-21 and average of 28. In this last series it wasnt even like he was taking the wickets at the end or after batsmen have scored a lot of runs, he took wickets of Smith (Thrice), Head, Green, Labu (Twice), Wade, Paine and Warner. So he was not giving away runs and was taking wickets of top order batsmen. Yes pacers also build pressure but, Ashwin's own control and accuracy cant be ignored.

 

[BigShak]

Unpopular opinion but I actually think he bowled pretty nicely in the last two series. Obviously conditions weren’t in his favour but he has shown good enough control and was threatening in patches. Hope he has a big series at home.

 

[Firebat]

Has to back these words with elite performances in these favourable conditions then

 

[Usman]

Well Yasir if you flop now, you'll have no excuses left.

Whilst it is undoubtedly true that some wickets are better for spinners than others, Yasir has been exceptionally poor for a long time.

People like [MENTION=153744]BigShak[/MENTION] say he has bowled nicely recently and I know why he says it - When you watch Yasir bowl, you'll see in every over a good ball. However at his peak, this man was bowling 6 good balls an over and setting batsmen up. He just does not do that anymore. Now his good ball is followed up by an easy 4 ball or at best, an easy single.

Yasir might use conditions as an excuse, but the reality is that even in Eng, Aus etc, you do get periods in a game where the ball does something for the spinner. In the past, Yasir grabbed those opportunities with both hands. Take this test from the 2016 tour for example:

https://www.espncricinfo.com/series...istan-1st-investec-test-913641/full-scorecard

Now Yasir seems totally incapable of such performances. Instead he goes for 200 runs an innings easily.

I honestly believe this test was the turning point of his career. Something happened to him from the very next test onwards. He went from being a brilliant bowler to a really quite terrible one.

In Pakistan, Yasir averages about 45 with the ball. He's bowled 72 overs which isn't a great sample size, but it should also be noted that his opposition was very weak - Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. At his peak, he would have run through these teams and finished with an average below 20.

If Yasir finishes this series averaging more than 30 never mind 45, it really should be the end of his career. We must give the other spinners a shot. We can't carry passengers.

 

[UzmanBeast]

Yasir along with Shaheen might be less worse than the rest in Eng and NZ but, that cant hide the fact that despite this Yasir might not be the spin solution for SENA. Being better than 120 kph Abbas and under developed Naseem shouldn't be the standard. Even as a support bowler his economy was 5 in Aus (Avg 100), 3.76 in Eng (Avg 53) which isnt good enough. In NZ (Avg 44.67) his control was better though. Even in Pak vs Srl his economy was 3.85 and avg of 63. Yes when you bowl overs you will go for runs but, that should be at a controlled rate and wicket contributions.

Lets compare him with someone like Ashwin. Ashwin had economy of 2.81 in SA in 2017-18 and average of 30, economy of 1.72 in Aus in 2018 (1 match) and average of 24, economy of 2.58 in Aus in 2020-21 and average of 28. In this last series it wasnt even like he was taking the wickets at the end or after batsmen have scored a lot of runs, he took wickets of Smith (Thrice), Head, Green, Labu (Twice), Wade, Paine and Warner. So he was not giving away runs and was taking wickets of top order batsmen. Yes pacers also build pressure but, Ashwin's own control and accuracy cant be ignored.

Leg-spinner can't be compared with finger spinners. It's a simple truth. Both are completely different crafts which require different ways in which they are used. An off-spinner can be expected to play a supporting role and keep things tight, whereas a leg-spinner is known to go for runs but take wickets. Now the thing is, I understand people that say that he doesn't have the right skillset to succeed in SENA conditions. He hasn't developed a convincing googly and hasn't really supported our pacers well.

However, think about the field placements we give Yasir. Against Australia, India employed several fielders near the bat when Ashwin was bowling, and that got him a few wickets. The same thing was with Washington Sundar and the fielder close on the leg-side. Meanwhile, Buttler walks into bat and after hitting one boundary, Azhar Ali proceeds to remove most of the fielders from near the bat and set them as boundary riders, allowing Buttler and Woakes to take singles practically at will. On top of that, our fielding builds no pressure for the bowlers either.

I will admit that Yasir hasn't performed up to my own expectations in SENA, but a few people don't care to consider the things going against him. I'll name a few:

1. SENA conditions not being condusive to spin, we all know this one.
2. Being bowled for 30+ overs on a Day 1 or Day 2 pitch in one innings. (Check if Ashwin, Jadeja, Lyon bowl similar spells, I doubt they consistently bowl this many overs when touring SENA countries.)
3. Lack of attacking fielders (hardly any fielders are near the bat and it makes it difficult for bowlers to set up particular batsmen. A slip simply isn't enough support for a spinner.)
4. Being asked to bowl defensive lines/lengths in order to support our quicks, yet nothing being done to get our fielders to hold onto catches, which would support our fast bowlers much more than Yasir bowling a few maiden overs.

My point is that if you want to criticize Yasir Shah over his performances in SENA conditions without considering how he is used and what he is often asked to do, that is just unfair to a player. Against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were his first two series inside Pakistan, so I don't think we should be too hard on him. Also, teams like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh play spin very well, so it's expected that they will know how to negotiate him.

The fact still remains that other than Yasir, nobody on our team is likely to take 10 wickets in a match. We have a world-class spinner in our ranks, but rather than questioning how he is being used, we are blaming him for our own pace attacks toothless results and poor bowling. Might as well blame Imran Khan for our series loss against New Zealand.

 

[UzmanBeast]

Well Yasir if you flop now, you'll have no excuses left.

Whilst it is undoubtedly true that some wickets are better for spinners than others, Yasir has been exceptionally poor for a long time.

People like [MENTION=153744]BigShak[/MENTION] say he has bowled nicely recently and I know why he says it - When you watch Yasir bowl, you'll see in every over a good ball. However at his peak, this man was bowling 6 good balls an over and setting batsmen up. He just does not do that anymore. Now his good ball is followed up by an easy 4 ball or at best, an easy single.

Yasir might use conditions as an excuse, but the reality is that even in Eng, Aus etc, you do get periods in a game where the ball does something for the spinner. In the past, Yasir grabbed those opportunities with both hands. Take this test from the 2016 tour for example:

https://www.espncricinfo.com/series...istan-1st-investec-test-913641/full-scorecard

Now Yasir seems totally incapable of such performances. Instead he goes for 200 runs an innings easily.

I honestly believe this test was the turning point of his career. Something happened to him from the very next test onwards. He went from being a brilliant bowler to a really quite terrible one.

In Pakistan, Yasir averages about 45 with the ball. He's bowled 72 overs which isn't a great sample size, but it should also be noted that his opposition was very weak - Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. At his peak, he would have run through these teams and finished with an average below 20.

If Yasir finishes this series averaging more than 30 never mind 45, it really should be the end of his career. We must give the other spinners a shot. We can't carry passengers.

I agree that if he flops, it will be the last we see of him, but there are factors going against him that most people don't care to think about.

We blame Yasir Shah for not supporting our fast-bowlers, but have you seen our fielding standards? Have you seen the absolute dollys that our fielders drop? Have you seen how immature and pathetic our fielding is, conceding easy singles to batsmen and to top it off, the poor misfields that we have in almost every single match we play? Does it appear as our fielders have hands to catch the ball, or are they using their teeth?

Yasir Shah is expected to bowl about 30+ overs in the first innings on the first day of a test match in a SENA country. Do we really see nothing wrong with that? Are we going to call it an opportunity to show his skills rather than accept that the management is making Yasir Shah into a scapegoat for our own poor, pathetic fast bowling lineup? Until you consider the fact that he is used extensively to cover up our poor fast bowling lineup, you simply won't understand the resource and the value of a player such as Yasir Shah.

I cited this somewhere else, but comparing him to other spinners like Ashwin and Jadeja should be done, but also take into consideration how they are used versus how Yasir Shah is used. We make him bowl 30+ overs in an innings and don't let him keep any fielders near the bat. No catchers, no additional slips, no high pressure fielding situations, nothing. On top of that, we ask him to bowl defensively and keep his economy in check. Then our fans proceed to compare his economy rate to that of Ashwin, without realizing that both are completely different trades. You can expect an off-spinner too bowl on the same spot 6 balls out of 6. You can expect an off-spinner to bowl defensive lines. You can't do that with a leg-spinner.

You can look at our history, consult our past legends, and ask the experts, and the response you will get is the same. A leg spinner is an attacking option, brought in to break partnerships and take wickets. If you want economy rate, pick an off-spinner.

Before mindlessly bashing Yasir Shah, let's also reverse the outcome. What support have our fast-bowlers given Yasir Shah? But of course, most of our fans here won't care to think about that either, because we have a delusion that our fast-bowlers are of such high quality and Yasir is just some washed out spinner. Need I remind you that he is the only one on this team who at least possesses the capability to take 10 wickets. What happened at Old Trafford in 2020 against England? The prime conditions for fast bowlers to dominate? Where was the Shaheen Shah Afridi 5fer, or the Mohammad Abbas 10fer.

My simple argument is this: If you want to criticize Yasir Shah based on his performances, do so in comparison with how he is used, the conditions he bowls, and the support he receives from other bowlers as well.

 

[UzmanBeast]

Unpopular opinion but I actually think he bowled pretty nicely in the last two series. Obviously conditions weren’t in his favour but he has shown good enough control and was threatening in patches. Hope he has a big series at home.

I agree, his lack of performances are obviously somewhat his own fault, but also how he is used. We bowl a spinenr in SENA more than we bowl our pacers sometimes, which is concerning. On top of that, we force him to bowl defensively in areas where oppositions are more likely to take on the spinner because of no support being present. Hopefully he has a good series, because someone like him has a lot of knowledge and experience in foreign conditions which a new, young spinner might need.

 

[Third_Umpire]

Begs the question why he was consistently played in those conditions. He was more useful with the bat than with ball in those matches

 

[Savak]

Typical Pakistani attitude of having an external locus of control rather than internal locus of control. No one accepts any individual personal responsibility. End result, everyone is content with where they are and no one improves

 

[Usman]

I agree that if he flops, it will be the last we see of him, but there are factors going against him that most people don't care to think about.

We blame Yasir Shah for not supporting our fast-bowlers, but have you seen our fielding standards? Have you seen the absolute dollys that our fielders drop? Have you seen how immature and pathetic our fielding is, conceding easy singles to batsmen and to top it off, the poor misfields that we have in almost every single match we play? Does it appear as our fielders have hands to catch the ball, or are they using their teeth?

Yasir Shah is expected to bowl about 30+ overs in the first innings on the first day of a test match in a SENA country. Do we really see nothing wrong with that? Are we going to call it an opportunity to show his skills rather than accept that the management is making Yasir Shah into a scapegoat for our own poor, pathetic fast bowling lineup? Until you consider the fact that he is used extensively to cover up our poor fast bowling lineup, you simply won't understand the resource and the value of a player such as Yasir Shah.

I cited this somewhere else, but comparing him to other spinners like Ashwin and Jadeja should be done, but also take into consideration how they are used versus how Yasir Shah is used. We make him bowl 30+ overs in an innings and don't let him keep any fielders near the bat. No catchers, no additional slips, no high pressure fielding situations, nothing. On top of that, we ask him to bowl defensively and keep his economy in check. Then our fans proceed to compare his economy rate to that of Ashwin, without realizing that both are completely different trades. You can expect an off-spinner too bowl on the same spot 6 balls out of 6. You can expect an off-spinner to bowl defensive lines. You can't do that with a leg-spinner.

You can look at our history, consult our past legends, and ask the experts, and the response you will get is the same. A leg spinner is an attacking option, brought in to break partnerships and take wickets. If you want economy rate, pick an off-spinner.

Before mindlessly bashing Yasir Shah, let's also reverse the outcome. What support have our fast-bowlers given Yasir Shah? But of course, most of our fans here won't care to think about that either, because we have a delusion that our fast-bowlers are of such high quality and Yasir is just some washed out spinner. Need I remind you that he is the only one on this team who at least possesses the capability to take 10 wickets. What happened at Old Trafford in 2020 against England? The prime conditions for fast bowlers to dominate? Where was the Shaheen Shah Afridi 5fer, or the Mohammad Abbas 10fer.

My simple argument is this: If you want to criticize Yasir Shah based on his performances, do so in comparison with how he is used, the conditions he bowls, and the support he receives from other bowlers as well.

I do not disagree that our test match fast bowling has been terrible and Yasir gets little support. However, this is not a sudden situation - since Amir and Asif were banned in 2010, we have had not one fast bowler who has performed on a long term basis in test cricket. Not one. Yet during that time, Yasir Shah performed very well against a range of oppositions, all the way up to around 2016. His performances have dropped significantly since 2016 and that can't be explained away simply by the fact that he doesn't get support.

When Ajmal was playing, he was the same. He got wickets despite any meaningful support.

The point is, support bowlers help. But if you're good enough, as Yasir used to be, you get wickets regardless. The fact that Yasir gets very few wickets and gives away so many runs is, in large part, down to him.

When people say, oh look at how many overs poor Yasir has to bowl, well yes let's look at that. One of the key reasons Yasir bowls that many and other spinners do not is because Yasir has to bowl that many to get any wickets, usually when the batsmen are on 150 runs or more. Other bowlers bowl far fewer because they are much better wicket takers.

 

[aloo paratha]

He's right. Which leggie has done well in SENA in the last decade?

 

[UzmanBeast]

I do not disagree that our test match fast bowling has been terrible and Yasir gets little support. However, this is not a sudden situation - since Amir and Asif were banned in 2010, we have had not one fast bowler who has performed on a long term basis in test cricket. Not one. Yet during that time, Yasir Shah performed very well against a range of oppositions, all the way up to around 2016. His performances have dropped significantly since 2016 and that can't be explained away simply by the fact that he doesn't get support.

When Ajmal was playing, he was the same. He got wickets despite any meaningful support.

The point is, support bowlers help. But if you're good enough, as Yasir used to be, you get wickets regardless. The fact that Yasir gets very few wickets and gives away so many runs is, in large part, down to him.

When people say, oh look at how many overs poor Yasir has to bowl, well yes let's look at that. One of the key reasons Yasir bowls that many and other spinners do not is because Yasir has to bowl that many to get any wickets, usually when the batsmen are on 150 runs or more. Other bowlers bowl far fewer because they are much better wicket takers.

We would never know if Yasir needs that many overs unless we see what he can do if given a spell of 10 or 12 overs an innings. You might be concerned about how his performances have dipped, but there is one piece of evidence that is undeniable. Much like fast bowlers, over-bowling a spinner means that they become less likely to attack and retreat to a primitive, defensive method of bowling, unable to bowl proper lines and lengths when they are under pressure. They lose control of some of their best skills and like all of us have identified, Yasir is gradually losing his ability to turn the ball like he once used to do in 2016, when he was rightly the best test spinner on the planet. We might never know what happened to that Yasir Shah who could single handedly run through an opposition, but what we do know is that he was wasted as a bowler because of the lack of support. If he had support from others, and more importantly, if he was used sparingly in SENA, he might have had about 300+ wickets by now at an average under 28, which would be excellent for our standards. That 10 wicket haul he took in England eventually sealed his fate meaning that we'd rely upon him extensively over the next few years of his career.

Sometimes, I think that the way our captains have timidly relied upon making Yasir a consistent scapegoat overseas and called for control with a spinner have wasted him as a bowler. We all saw what happened when Zafar debuted, and all the mouths that criticized Yasir had shut up temporarily.

I disagree with the fact that Yasir has to bowl that many overs to take wickets, he has to bowl that many overs because nobody else is taking wickets, which is a very big difference. You can't expect your frontline spinner to carry you on conditions that support fast bowlers, meanwhile your superstar youngsta Naseem Shah is going for 5 an over and conceding runs like it's T20 cricket in a white jersey.

The truth is that Pakistanis will never admit that our fast bowling lineup is poor and depleted, and that we have no respect and appreciation for one of our spinners who has put up commendable performances at times when the rest of our bowling attack gave up.

I will bring up this point again, how was Yasir taking 7 wickets in a game in England and our quicks were bare dry?

 

[Shazzam]

We should drop him in sena and play him at home.

 

[Hyperion66]

Leg-spinner can't be compared with finger spinners. It's a simple truth. Both are completely different crafts which require different ways in which they are used. An off-spinner can be expected to play a supporting role and keep things tight, whereas a leg-spinner is known to go for runs but take wickets. Now the thing is, I understand people that say that he doesn't have the right skillset to succeed in SENA conditions. He hasn't developed a convincing googly and hasn't really supported our pacers well.

However, think about the field placements we give Yasir. Against Australia, India employed several fielders near the bat when Ashwin was bowling, and that got him a few wickets. The same thing was with Washington Sundar and the fielder close on the leg-side. Meanwhile, Buttler walks into bat and after hitting one boundary, Azhar Ali proceeds to remove most of the fielders from near the bat and set them as boundary riders, allowing Buttler and Woakes to take singles practically at will. On top of that, our fielding builds no pressure for the bowlers either.

I will admit that Yasir hasn't performed up to my own expectations in SENA, but a few people don't care to consider the things going against him. I'll name a few:

1. SENA conditions not being condusive to spin, we all know this one.
2. Being bowled for 30+ overs on a Day 1 or Day 2 pitch in one innings. (Check if Ashwin, Jadeja, Lyon bowl similar spells, I doubt they consistently bowl this many overs when touring SENA countries.)
3. Lack of attacking fielders (hardly any fielders are near the bat and it makes it difficult for bowlers to set up particular batsmen. A slip simply isn't enough support for a spinner.)
4. Being asked to bowl defensive lines/lengths in order to support our quicks, yet nothing being done to get our fielders to hold onto catches, which would support our fast bowlers much more than Yasir bowling a few maiden overs.

My point is that if you want to criticize Yasir Shah over his performances in SENA conditions without considering how he is used and what he is often asked to do, that is just unfair to a player. Against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were his first two series inside Pakistan, so I don't think we should be too hard on him. Also, teams like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh play spin very well, so it's expected that they will know how to negotiate him.

The fact still remains that other than Yasir, nobody on our team is likely to take 10 wickets in a match. We have a world-class spinner in our ranks, but rather than questioning how he is being used, we are blaming him for our own pace attacks toothless results and poor bowling. Might as well blame Imran Khan for our series loss against New Zealand.

So basically he doesn't do well in SENA because of alien conditions, overbowling and bad field placing. Didn't do much at home recently as Asian teams play spin very well, and of course since he is a leggie so going at 4-5 rpo and giving away 100 - 200 runs/innings is pretty normal. Cool.

 

[UzmanBeast]

So basically he doesn't do well in SENA because of alien conditions, overbowling and bad field placing. Didn't do much at home recently as Asian teams play spin very well, and of course since he is a leggie so going at 4-5 rpo and giving away 100 - 200 runs/innings is pretty normal. Cool.

Played two games in Asia. First two games he's played against international standard teams in Pakistan. First two series in Pakistan.

He is overbowled quite often, you can check the statistics for yourself. Secondly, SENA conditions are known to be difficult for spinners.

Asian teams do play spin well, that's no surprise, pretty common knowledge.

Going at 4-5 RPO when you are being bowled past your limit and for the reason to cover up the team's poor fast bowling is sometimes not in his hands.

None of the things I said are false by any means. It's quite simple that if you can't use your spinner properly, or if you don't support him through fielding or through bowling performances, how can you expect him to perform well consistently.

If spin is so important in SENA, why aren't the likes of Nathan Lyon bowling 37 overs in an innings?

Of course, people don't consider all the details when making their judgements of players. I didn't say anywhere that part of the blame doesn't fall on Yasir, of course it does. Taking my statement out of consideration doesn't help anyone. Yasir could have done a lot of things better, could have bowled better, and could have at times tried harder. But I disagree with when people blame our overseas performances on him, and talk about how he's a poor spinner and is washed up. If anything, the likes of Naseem, Abbas, and Shaheen are also to be blamed, particularly when they bowled on the greenest wickets known to man and still couldn't pick up wickets? Now are you going to blame their lack of performances on the fielding? Oh wait, no, it's their fault that they conceded so many runs. I guess going at 5 RPO for a pacer is pretty normal innit?

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Yasir along with Shaheen might be less worse than the rest in Eng and NZ but, that cant hide the fact that despite this Yasir might not be the spin solution for SENA. Being better than 120 kph Abbas and under developed Naseem shouldn't be the standard. Even as a support bowler his economy was 5 in Aus (Avg 100), 3.76 in Eng (Avg 53) which isnt good enough. In NZ (Avg 44.67) his control was better though. Even in Pak vs Srl his economy was 3.85 and avg of 63. Yes when you bowl overs you will go for runs but, that should be at a controlled rate and wicket contributions.

Lets compare him with someone like Ashwin. Ashwin had economy of 2.81 in SA in 2017-18 and average of 30, economy of 1.72 in Aus in 2018 (1 match) and average of 24, economy of 2.58 in Aus in 2020-21 and average of 28. In this last series it wasnt even like he was taking the wickets at the end or after batsmen have scored a lot of runs, he took wickets of Smith (Thrice), Head, Green, Labu (Twice), Wade, Paine and Warner. So he was not giving away runs and was taking wickets of top order batsmen. Yes pacers also build pressure but, Ashwin's own control and accuracy cant be ignored.

Ashwin is exceptional. We should not hold Yasir to that standard. By the general standard of spinners in SENA, Yasir has done better than most.

It is not his fault that he has to bowl so many overs - as a leggie you are bound to go for runs. There is a lot of difference in being a wrist spinner and an finger spinner.

 

[Zaz]

I don’t get the comments on this thread. He was very clear that despite the conditions he still bowled really well and took 3 wickets even against NZ.

He’s bound to go for 120 odd runs if he’s bowling 37 overs, that’s all he said.

I fully agree with him. He’s not making any excuses, he’s just being very clear so as to manage people’s expectations of him in SENA. There’s a difference.

Is it really his fault that he regularly bowls 30 overs on Days 1 and 2 in SENA?

Rather than bashing him its the seamers that should be bashed Yasirs job should be supporting the seamers who should be picking up the bulk of the wickets in those conditions

The fact they dont and are useless means yasir is overbowled and hence his figures look disastrous

If the pacers were half decent n did their job hed be bowling 20 overs an innings 2-70 rather than 40 overs 4-140

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Rather than bashing him its the seamers that should be bashed Yasirs job should be supporting the seamers who should be picking up the bulk of the wickets in those conditions

The fact they dont and are useless means yasir is overbowled and hence his figures look disastrous

If the pacers were half decent n did their job hed be bowling 20 overs an innings 2-70 rather than 40 overs 4-140

Precisely.

 

[Titan24]

Ashwin is exceptional. We should not hold Yasir to that standard. By the general standard of spinners in SENA, Yasir has done better than most.

It is not his fault that he has to bowl so many overs - as a leggie you are bound to go for runs. There is a lot of difference in being a wrist spinner and an finger spinner.

No denying that but, isnt leg spinner supposed to pick up more wickets as well? Otherwise why would a team play leggy if he is going to go for runs because he is leg spinner but, isnt going to take wickets expected of leg spinners. Yasir should also be held to certain standards like its done with other players otherwise it would mean bowing down to mediocrity.

I have mentioned quite a few times that no team plays a leggy in SENA other than bery few exceptions for 1-2 matches other than Pak and unless you have Warne kind of quality it’s pointless as it is neither going to get you wickets nor going to contain much runs.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

No denying that but, isnt leg spinner supposed to pick up more wickets as well? Otherwise why would a team play leggy if he is going to go for runs because he is leg spinner but, isnt going to take wickets expected of leg spinners. Yasir should also be held to certain standards like its done with other players otherwise it would mean bowing down to mediocrity.

I have mentioned quite a few times that no team plays a leggy in SENA other than bery few exceptions for 1-2 matches other than Pak and unless you have Warne kind of quality it’s pointless as it is neither going to get you wickets nor going to contain much runs.

That’s the thing - Yasir’s performances were mediocre but by no means bad. Only so much you can do in the worst country in the world for spinners, and he still picked up his fair share of wickets.

 

[Titan24]

Leg-spinner can't be compared with finger spinners. It's a simple truth. Both are completely different crafts which require different ways in which they are used. An off-spinner can be expected to play a supporting role and keep things tight, whereas a leg-spinner is known to go for runs but take wickets. Now the thing is, I understand people that say that he doesn't have the right skillset to succeed in SENA conditions. He hasn't developed a convincing googly and hasn't really supported our pacers well.

However, think about the field placements we give Yasir. Against Australia, India employed several fielders near the bat when Ashwin was bowling, and that got him a few wickets. The same thing was with Washington Sundar and the fielder close on the leg-side. Meanwhile, Buttler walks into bat and after hitting one boundary, Azhar Ali proceeds to remove most of the fielders from near the bat and set them as boundary riders, allowing Buttler and Woakes to take singles practically at will. On top of that, our fielding builds no pressure for the bowlers either.

I will admit that Yasir hasn't performed up to my own expectations in SENA, but a few people don't care to consider the things going against him. I'll name a few:

1. SENA conditions not being condusive to spin, we all know this one.
2. Being bowled for 30+ overs on a Day 1 or Day 2 pitch in one innings. (Check if Ashwin, Jadeja, Lyon bowl similar spells, I doubt they consistently bowl this many overs when touring SENA countries.)
3. Lack of attacking fielders (hardly any fielders are near the bat and it makes it difficult for bowlers to set up particular batsmen. A slip simply isn't enough support for a spinner.)
4. Being asked to bowl defensive lines/lengths in order to support our quicks, yet nothing being done to get our fielders to hold onto catches, which would support our fast bowlers much more than Yasir bowling a few maiden overs.

My point is that if you want to criticize Yasir Shah over his performances in SENA conditions without considering how he is used and what he is often asked to do, that is just unfair to a player. Against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were his first two series inside Pakistan, so I don't think we should be too hard on him. Also, teams like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh play spin very well, so it's expected that they will know how to negotiate him.

The fact still remains that other than Yasir, nobody on our team is likely to take 10 wickets in a match. We have a world-class spinner in our ranks, but rather than questioning how he is being used, we are blaming him for our own pace attacks toothless results and poor bowling. Might as well blame Imran Khan for our series loss against New Zealand.

Yasir in SENA might have looked a bit better on occasions that the rest of our attack as he is more likely to take a fifer than others but as manifested by his stats, its more to do with mediocrity of others playing around than superiority of Yasir. When you are competing with 120 kph Abbas and underdeveloped Naseem, its not really difficult to outperform them on occasions despite averaging 100, 53 and 44 in 3 SENA countries.

Coming to the handling of Yasir’s part I agree but, it doesn’t only apply to Yasir as other players face the similar kind of issues and it’s currently a constant phenomenon so decisions of selections have to be made taking that into account. Though Yasir has over 200 test wickets, one would expect him to atleast manage himself better.

I have mentioned lack of support for Yasir but also mentioned someone like Ashwin he took top order wickets for his team. Nevertheless, Yasir looks better than the attack we have been playing except maybe Shaheen but, again it has more to do with poor quality of others.

I highly doubt many would say that with Yasir we have our one ingredient of success in SENA. Yes we dont have other ingredients but, Yasir hasnt been one too.

 

[Extra_Cover]

Going by his own admission he should have been omitted from SENA squads alas he ended up playing all tests in those conditions thanks to Misbah

 

[UzmanBeast]

Yasir in SENA might have looked a bit better on occasions that the rest of our attack as he is more likely to take a fifer than others but as manifested by his stats, its more to do with mediocrity of others playing around than superiority of Yasir. When you are competing with 120 kph Abbas and underdeveloped Naseem, its not really difficult to outperform them on occasions despite averaging 100, 53 and 44 in 3 SENA countries.

Coming to the handling of Yasir’s part I agree but, it doesn’t only apply to Yasir as other players face the similar kind of issues and it’s currently a constant phenomenon so decisions of selections have to be made taking that into account. Though Yasir has over 200 test wickets, one would expect him to atleast manage himself better.

I have mentioned lack of support for Yasir but also mentioned someone like Ashwin he took top order wickets for his team. Nevertheless, Yasir looks better than the attack we have been playing except maybe Shaheen but, again it has more to do with poor quality of others.

I highly doubt many would say that with Yasir we have our one ingredient of success in SENA. Yes we dont have other ingredients but, Yasir hasnt been one too.

Yasir has won us more matches than almost any other player in test cricket in recent times.

When you bowl him for 30+ overs in SENA without any valid reason, on pitches that don't support spinners, and on top of that, you ask him to bowl defensively, you are ruining a genuine wicket-taking bowler.

Ashwin has far better stats than Yasir Shah, but do India constantly over-bowl him? No, because they understand that he is an integral part of the team and that he doesn't need to bowl 30+ overs to do the jobs of the other bowlers.

Until we find a good fast-bowling attack, we can't criticize Yasir Shah too harshly for being a poor spinner, because the reality is that there are 4 other names in the bowling column who also fail to impress most times.

I mean like honestly, how is Yasir taking wickets on those green surfaces in New Zealand where Abbas and Naseem were drier than the Saharan desert. It is just sad.

Anyways, my point is that if you want to replace anyone from the bowling attack, the likes of Naseem, Abbas, and others must be shown the door before you can think of replacing Yasir Shah.

 

[Khan12]

He's basically saying drop me from SENA. Not sure when our selectors will get the mesaage.

 

[MenInG]

He's basically saying drop me from SENA. Not sure when our selectors will get the mesaage.

Horses for courses policy that Wasim spoke about means he should be dropped.

 

[Khan12]

Horses for courses policy that Wasim spoke about means he should be dropped.

I hope so have no problem yasir playing oustide SENA as long as he is performing.

 

[Kroll]

Should have been replaced ages ago, its like flogging a dead horse and expecting a reaction. Mediocre performances, poor fitness yet gets selected series after series.

 

[JibranAnsari]

so going 5 runs an over was containing?

 

[Saj]

Some numbers for Yasir Shah in Tests in Pakistan:

Matches 2
Wickets 6
Runs conceded 268
Average 44.66
Strike-rate 72.3
Economy rate of 3.70

 

[Saj]

Yasir Shah's current average per Test wicket is 30.85 which is the highest of his career.

 

[Junaids]

A few comments about Yasir Shah.

1. He used to be an exceptional bowler in low bounce conditions - Asia and England. This was largely on the basis of his control and accuracy, even though he didn't really have much variation, and particularly didn't have a wrong'un.

2. He was exposed when he toured New Zealand and then Australia in 2016-17, and then South Africa in 2018-19, and then Australia in 2019-20. On true pitches that don't deteriorate or become dusty, and which have extra bounce, he really had no method of threatening the batsman or even keeping the score down. Misbah in 2016-17 tried to use his accuracy to build pressure, but it didn't work and by his fourth Test of that tour - in Sydney - his bowling figures were:

40-2-167-1
14-0-124-1

At that point the experiment of using Yasir Shah outside Asia should have ended. It didn't.

3. Yasir Shah is almost certainly older than his official age of 34 years 267 days now. By the time he toured South Africa in 2018-19 he was in obvious decline, and could no longer even maintain the accuracy and control that he had as a younger man. He took 1-123 in 2 Tests before being dropped to accommodate Shadab Khan, who took 4-80 in a single Test, as well as finishing second in the batting averages (behind Hasan Ali - not a batsman!). Mickey Arthur made clear to those around him after the Johannesburg Test that the Test careers of Azhar Ali and Yasir Shah were over.

4. Yasir Shah got a reprieve when Misbah-ul-Haq then presided over the dismissal of Mickey Arthur and his own ascent to be both Chief Selector and Head Coach.

5. Suddenly Yasir Shah was the sole spinner in a 4 man attack in Australia. He scored a century - the only time he has ever reached 50 in a Test - but his bowling was a carbon copy of the previous tour of Australia in 2016-17 and in South Africa in 2018-19: he had series figures of:

80.4 overs
2 maidens
402 runs
4 wickets

Most of us assumed that Yasir Shah would never again play a Test outside Asia. But he was again picked in England, and many casual observers were misled by his performance there.

Yasir Shah ended the series with figures of:

98 overs
9 maidens
368 runs
11 wickets

The wickets column made his figures respectable, even though he still couldn't string together any maiden overs.

But it was a mirage. In England 4 years earlier he had won 2 Tests with his bowling as the wicket crumbled. Now he no longer could. He took 4-66 in the first innings of the series against a batting line-up unfamiliar with leg-spin. But with 277 runs to defend in the fourth innings he barely threatened at all, and while two late wickets once the match was lost inflated his figures to 30-2-99-4, the reality is that prior to those two late wickets - the first fell at 256-5 - Yasir Shah had figures of:

27.5-2-95-2.

Yasir Shah ended up with 30-2-99-4 and the mirage of an acceptable performance. But the reality was that he could no longer do what he could do in 2016.

6. And so, finally, to New Zealand in 2020-21. Yasir Shah - against New Zealand's weakest batting line-up for a decade - had series figures of:

43 overs
4 maidens
134 runs
3 wickets.

A bowling average of 44.66 overseas is actually no worse than usual. But his strike rate of 86.0 is typical of his away career.

I don't understand the idea of persisting with a man of almost 35 years - but probably 37 or 38 in reality - who has such a terrible record outside Asia.

International cricket is all about building a team, not just picking the best eleven players today. India lost in NZ ten months ago, but when the average age of the team was almost half a decade younger in Australia they then won, with inferior players.

I accept that Yasir Shah is a still a better bowler in Asia than Sajid Khan. But I don't understand why you would pick the 38 year old ahead of the 27 year old who has the potential to improve.

It baffles me.

 

[Titan24]

Anyways, my point is that if you want to replace anyone from the bowling attack, the likes of Naseem, Abbas, and others must be shown the door before you can think of replacing Yasir Shah.

Yes that was due and that has already happened. I hope Yasir does well against SA otherwise his spot will be under threat too.

 

[UzmanBeast]

Yes that was due and that has already happened. I hope Yasir does well against SA otherwise his spot will be under threat too.

Exactly. If he doesn't perform in these conditions, there's no excuse. But I also expect him to be used well. I don't want us to bring someone like Sajid on the team just for them to bowl 40+ overs in an innings. That mindset needs to change.

 

[dildilpak]

A few comments about Yasir Shah.

1. He used to be an exceptional bowler in low bounce conditions - Asia and England. This was largely on the basis of his control and accuracy, even though he didn't really have much variation, and particularly didn't have a wrong'un.

2. He was exposed when he toured New Zealand and then Australia in 2016-17, and then South Africa in 2018-19, and then Australia in 2019-20. On true pitches that don't deteriorate or become dusty, and which have extra bounce, he really had no method of threatening the batsman or even keeping the score down. Misbah in 2016-17 tried to use his accuracy to build pressure, but it didn't work and by his fourth Test of that tour - in Sydney - his bowling figures were:

40-2-167-1
14-0-124-1

At that point the experiment of using Yasir Shah outside Asia should have ended. It didn't.

3. Yasir Shah is almost certainly older than his official age of 34 years 267 days now. By the time he toured South Africa in 2018-19 he was in obvious decline, and could no longer even maintain the accuracy and control that he had as a younger man. He took 1-123 in 2 Tests before being dropped to accommodate Shadab Khan, who took 4-80 in a single Test, as well as finishing second in the batting averages (behind Hasan Ali - not a batsman!). Mickey Arthur made clear to those around him after the Johannesburg Test that the Test careers of Azhar Ali and Yasir Shah were over.

4. Yasir Shah got a reprieve when Misbah-ul-Haq then presided over the dismissal of Mickey Arthur and his own ascent to be both Chief Selector and Head Coach.

5. Suddenly Yasir Shah was the sole spinner in a 4 man attack in Australia. He scored a century - the only time he has ever reached 50 in a Test - but his bowling was a carbon copy of the previous tour of Australia in 2016-17 and in South Africa in 2018-19: he had series figures of:

80.4 overs
2 maidens
402 runs
4 wickets

Most of us assumed that Yasir Shah would never again play a Test outside Asia. But he was again picked in England, and many casual observers were misled by his performance there.

Yasir Shah ended the series with figures of:

98 overs
9 maidens
368 runs
11 wickets

The wickets column made his figures respectable, even though he still couldn't string together any maiden overs.

But it was a mirage. In England 4 years earlier he had won 2 Tests with his bowling as the wicket crumbled. Now he no longer could. He took 4-66 in the first innings of the series against a batting line-up unfamiliar with leg-spin. But with 277 runs to defend in the fourth innings he barely threatened at all, and while two late wickets once the match was lost inflated his figures to 30-2-99-4, the reality is that prior to those two late wickets - the first fell at 256-5 - Yasir Shah had figures of:

27.5-2-95-2.

Yasir Shah ended up with 30-2-99-4 and the mirage of an acceptable performance. But the reality was that he could no longer do what he could do in 2016.

6. And so, finally, to New Zealand in 2020-21. Yasir Shah - against New Zealand's weakest batting line-up for a decade - had series figures of:

43 overs
4 maidens
134 runs
3 wickets.

A bowling average of 44.66 overseas is actually no worse than usual. But his strike rate of 86.0 is typical of his away career.

I don't understand the idea of persisting with a man of almost 35 years - but probably 37 or 38 in reality - who has such a terrible record outside Asia.

International cricket is all about building a team, not just picking the best eleven players today. India lost in NZ ten months ago, but when the average age of the team was almost half a decade younger in Australia they then won, with inferior players.

I accept that Yasir Shah is a still a better bowler in Asia than Sajid Khan. But I don't understand why you would pick the 38 year old ahead of the 27 year old who has the potential to improve.

It baffles me.

For once i agree with [MENTION=132916]Junaids[/MENTION]. When you know that Yasir Shah is terrible overseas (except maybe England), why not make use of spin friendly wickets & an opposition who doesnt play spin well, to blood some younger spinners who are bound to do well in home conditions?

Regardless of the fact that Yasir Shah was overused overseas (i can agree with that), the main problem is that he isn’t penetrating enough for a leg spinner because of his lack of a great googly. Lets face it - he is no Kaneria, let alone a Kumble or Mushtaq Ahmed. Time to move on & invest in somebody new.

 

[Saj]

Absolutely no excuse at all not to perform in the 2 match series against South Africa.

Conditions should be in his favour, the pitches and the opposition isn't the strongest against spin either.

 

[azimiqbal]

Last chance saloon for Yasir shah , perform or your gone

 

[KP From India]

On simillar lines, 4-5 catches were dropped off Ashwin in 2nd trst vs Sa tour in 2017-18. If they were taken, we might have won/drawn the series. Since last 2 years, our slip unit and close in have regullarly dropping catches.

 

[MenInG]

3 wickets so far for Yasir Shah so seems he had a point!

 

[MenInG]

3 wickets so far for Yasir Shah so seems he had a point!

Ends up on 3/54

 

[Ikball]

Will Yasir shah become highest wicket taker Pakistani bowler in tests?

Currently he has taken 235 wickets in 83 innings (2.8 wtks/inng) . To achieve this milestone he will need 180 more wickets. He will need 64 more innings (32 tests) for this with current average. He will need probably 4 more years for this.

What do you guys think?

 

[Boycottisno2]

he is at least 38/39 year old now ..... he seems past his sell by date now..... dont go on his official birth date..... which is usually Pakistani age fudging going on all the time

 

[ElRaja]

people want to replace him, but with who? the reason he has had a free ride is because theres no one to threaten his position, not one leg spinner in all of pak domestic comes close to him.

u get rid of him because his away performance is bad and youll replace him with someone who doesn't even guarantee home performance.

he does a job, and he'll win us a test every now and again at home. he can bat a bit too which also helps. i can see him playing another 10 or 15 tests over the next two or three years then being phased out.

 

[Saj]

He was ok this series.

Not at his best, but still good enough to trouble South Africa.

Biggest problem was that he bowled a fair few garbage deliveries.

8 wickets in the series at an average of 30.37. I guess about par for Yasir.

 

[Confucius]

Yasirs attitude irks me. Blaming the conditions here and then needing to be reminded by Younis Khan to lose weight. Take some ownership man, get fitter and add more variety to your game if you want to prolong career. Someone like Kumble is a good example of working hard and improving in unfriendly spinning conditions (in the latter half of his career).

 

[coy0607]

Typical series for Yasir, had his 2-3 threatening spells, the other 10+ spells were pretty ordinary

Yasir is still the #1 spinner in Pakistan, but the Zim series is a great opportunity to play Zafar and Sajid.

Really hope Yasir is 'rested' in that series, Nauman looked more threatening vs SA

 

[shamaan]

people want to replace him, but with who? the reason he has had a free ride is because theres no one to threaten his position, not one leg spinner in all of pak domestic comes close to him.

u get rid of him because his away performance is bad and youll replace him with someone who doesn't even guarantee home performance.

he does a job, and he'll win us a test every now and again at home. he can bat a bit too which also helps. i can see him playing another 10 or 15 tests over the next two or three years then being phased out.

yasir should play in asain conditions only

 

[MenInG]

Working away in the National T20 Cup:

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/t5xtqe" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>

 

[MenInG]

Brilliant from Yasir Shah

Finishes at 3/19 in 4 overs in the game against Southern Punjab

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/okjifz" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>

 

[Rana]

Safest option for Pakistan

Don’t trust Shadab, Zahid or Qadir with their lengths

 

[Titan24]

Safest option for Pakistan

Don’t trust Shadab, Zahid or Qadir with their lengths

Issue with Yasir in white ball cricket is that not only he himself misses his lengths here and there but, even when he get it right there isnt much spin or variations he has to offer (exceptions aside) and thus easily carted around by the opposition. He possibly has the worst googly out of all leggies that is why he rarely uses it and in T20 cricket as a leggy if you can’t bowl that it becomes a really tough game.

His ODI stats (Avg of 47), WC 2015, 5 match ODI series vs Aus in UAE etc. time and time have manifested the same.

 

[Cricketrenew]

Yasir has the basis to be world beater but when it comes to actual play he has no variety and he can't think people out. He waits for batsmen to give him the wicket. He has cost too matches and Pakistan should look for alternatives. I would go with Shadab if no one else available.

 

[shamaan]

Yasir has the basis to be world beater but when it comes to actual play he has no variety and he can't think people out. He waits for batsmen to give him the wicket. He has cost too matches and Pakistan should look for alternatives. I would go with Shadab if no one else available.

In tests and only in SENA conditions shadab
Odis and t20s should play definitely shadab

 

[Junaids]

He's a washed-up has-been whose performances outside Asia have been an absolute disgrace for 5 years now.

 

[Napa]

I completely agree. Those who bash Yasir Shah for being a poor spinner need to realize two things: he is overbowled in almost every single test match, and secondly, he's a wrist spinner, a naturally attacking bowling option. The minute you tell a wrist spinner to keep things tight and defend is the point where the opposition brings the onslaught to that spinner. Bowling defensive lines and lengths only means that you will concede more once the opposition figures out what you are doing.

Yasir's performances overseas are not totally his own fault. I will admit that in some situations, he could have bowled some better deliveries, but mostly, when have you seen teams tour SENA and bowl a spinner 37 overs in one innings? And then you get mad when he conceded runs.

A spinner is on the team for one reason, to attack and take wickets. You don't have to bowl in spin-friendly conditions to pick up wickets, it can be done on flat pitches as well. It's whether or not you have the intent and knowledge to do so.

In SENA, the bulk of the bowling should go to our pacers, yet when you play people like Naseem who can hardly give 15 overs in an innings, it's quite obvious that your spinner will be used more than he should. The plan to use Yasir in SENA should be quite simple, give him about three five over spells during different parts and tell him to attack and look for wickets. If he goes for runs, you can cut his spell down and bring him back later, but his goal should always be to attack. It's only Pakistan where you see a spinner being restrained from trying to take wickets and attack because we're so full of nonsense that our pace attack will take 10fers and 5fers. Look at Ashwin and Jadeja for India, did you see them ever trying to bowl defensively? They went to attack and take wickets, not to "support the fast bowlers". If your spinner can take 10 wickets and so can your fast-bowler, why would you try to stop the spinner from at least trying to do so?

It's a simple backwards philosophy in Pakistan cricket that the spinner is there to support the quicks, and that backwards thinking is seen in our bowling plans where Yasir, who is supposedly there only to "support" the fast bowlers, is bowled for 37 overs when our toothless fast-bowling attack fails to strike. Even for those 37 overs, of which most I watched, he was bowling defensive lengths and lines and was asked to keep the run rate in check.

Yasir is a world-class bowler, and I have not had the luxury to say that about the other names in our bowling lineup, but if our management can't see what he can do, that's just sad because you'd be wasting the only world-class resource of your bowling attack.

Well Yasir if you flop now, you'll have no excuses left.

Whilst it is undoubtedly true that some wickets are better for spinners than others, Yasir has been exceptionally poor for a long time.

People like [MENTION=153744]BigShak[/MENTION] say he has bowled nicely recently and I know why he says it - When you watch Yasir bowl, you'll see in every over a good ball. However at his peak, this man was bowling 6 good balls an over and setting batsmen up. He just does not do that anymore. Now his good ball is followed up by an easy 4 ball or at best, an easy single.

Yasir might use conditions as an excuse, but the reality is that even in Eng, Aus etc, you do get periods in a game where the ball does something for the spinner. In the past, Yasir grabbed those opportunities with both hands. Take this test from the 2016 tour for example:

https://www.espncricinfo.com/series...istan-1st-investec-test-913641/full-scorecard

Now Yasir seems totally incapable of such performances. Instead he goes for 200 runs an innings easily.

I honestly believe this test was the turning point of his career. Something happened to him from the very next test onwards. He went from being a brilliant bowler to a really quite terrible one.

In Pakistan, Yasir averages about 45 with the ball. He's bowled 72 overs which isn't a great sample size, but it should also be noted that his opposition was very weak - Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. At his peak, he would have run through these teams and finished with an average below 20.

If Yasir finishes this series averaging more than 30 never mind 45, it really should be the end of his career. We must give the other spinners a shot. We can't carry passengers.

Leg-spinner can't be compared with finger spinners. It's a simple truth. Both are completely different crafts which require different ways in which they are used. An off-spinner can be expected to play a supporting role and keep things tight, whereas a leg-spinner is known to go for runs but take wickets. Now the thing is, I understand people that say that he doesn't have the right skillset to succeed in SENA conditions. He hasn't developed a convincing googly and hasn't really supported our pacers well.

However, think about the field placements we give Yasir. Against Australia, India employed several fielders near the bat when Ashwin was bowling, and that got him a few wickets. The same thing was with Washington Sundar and the fielder close on the leg-side. Meanwhile, Buttler walks into bat and after hitting one boundary, Azhar Ali proceeds to remove most of the fielders from near the bat and set them as boundary riders, allowing Buttler and Woakes to take singles practically at will. On top of that, our fielding builds no pressure for the bowlers either.

I will admit that Yasir hasn't performed up to my own expectations in SENA, but a few people don't care to consider the things going against him. I'll name a few:

1. SENA conditions not being condusive to spin, we all know this one.
2. Being bowled for 30+ overs on a Day 1 or Day 2 pitch in one innings. (Check if Ashwin, Jadeja, Lyon bowl similar spells, I doubt they consistently bowl this many overs when touring SENA countries.)
3. Lack of attacking fielders (hardly any fielders are near the bat and it makes it difficult for bowlers to set up particular batsmen. A slip simply isn't enough support for a spinner.)
4. Being asked to bowl defensive lines/lengths in order to support our quicks, yet nothing being done to get our fielders to hold onto catches, which would support our fast bowlers much more than Yasir bowling a few maiden overs.

My point is that if you want to criticize Yasir Shah over his performances in SENA conditions without considering how he is used and what he is often asked to do, that is just unfair to a player. Against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were his first two series inside Pakistan, so I don't think we should be too hard on him. Also, teams like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh play spin very well, so it's expected that they will know how to negotiate him.

The fact still remains that other than Yasir, nobody on our team is likely to take 10 wickets in a match. We have a world-class spinner in our ranks, but rather than questioning how he is being used, we are blaming him for our own pace attacks toothless results and poor bowling. Might as well blame Imran Khan for our series loss against New Zealand.

Very good posts, I have a much better understanding of Yasir now.

 

[UzmanBeast]

Very good posts, I have a much better understanding of Yasir now.

Yasir Shah is a very misunderstood player, who isn't given enough credit.

His bowling was the reason we reached #1 in the Test Rankings, and it takes a good captain to use a leg-spinner properly in test match cricket.

You've had average leg-spinners like Danish Kaneria, Amit Mishra, Imran Tahir, and Adil Rashid in the international arena, all of whom have disappointed.

The biggest thing our captains post Misbah never realized was that Yasir Shah is not a huge turner of the ball. He doesn't have a googly, rather, he takes time to conjure wickets, especially if defensive fields are set.

The biggest thing I will never understand is why our team continues to place a short-leg for Yasir Shah if he doesn't have a googly; he hardly gets wickets at that position. When he bowls a bad ball, teams either drive him or cut him, or sweep him.

When Abid Ali was fielding in front of the bat, Yasir was able to conjure a wicket out of nothing. Our management is quite clueless when it comes to these things, and, if anyone here is interested, take a look at what Bharat Arun said about winning in Australia. Clear bowling plans to eliminate a side of the field for the Australians, even the Indian spinners did this, with good leg-side fields for an off-spinner spinning into the pads.

Under a competent captain, Yasir would have been at about 300 or 320 wickets by now, with no dip in his form.

His story is perhaps a big reminder that teams that can't appreciate the value of spinners in all conditions don't deserve good spinners.

Pakistan have been very foolish to use Yasir Shah as a plug on the runs, to cover up our fast-bowlers' disappointing overseas results by making him a scapegoat.

Now, when our pacers are doing very well, we have a shadow of a world-class spinner who is short on confidence and has perhaps accepted that his career is over.

 

[Napa]

Yasir Shah is a very misunderstood player, who isn't given enough credit.

His bowling was the reason we reached #1 in the Test Rankings, and it takes a good captain to use a leg-spinner properly in test match cricket.

You've had average leg-spinners like Danish Kaneria, Amit Mishra, Imran Tahir, and Adil Rashid in the international arena, all of whom have disappointed.

The biggest thing our captains post Misbah never realized was that Yasir Shah is not a huge turner of the ball. He doesn't have a googly, rather, he takes time to conjure wickets, especially if defensive fields are set.

The biggest thing I will never understand is why our team continues to place a short-leg for Yasir Shah if he doesn't have a googly; he hardly gets wickets at that position. When he bowls a bad ball, teams either drive him or cut him, or sweep him.

When Abid Ali was fielding in front of the bat, Yasir was able to conjure a wicket out of nothing. Our management is quite clueless when it comes to these things, and, if anyone here is interested, take a look at what Bharat Arun said about winning in Australia. Clear bowling plans to eliminate a side of the field for the Australians, even the Indian spinners did this, with good leg-side fields for an off-spinner spinning into the pads.

Under a competent captain, Yasir would have been at about 300 or 320 wickets by now, with no dip in his form.

His story is perhaps a big reminder that teams that can't appreciate the value of spinners in all conditions don't deserve good spinners.

Pakistan have been very foolish to use Yasir Shah as a plug on the runs, to cover up our fast-bowlers' disappointing overseas results by making him a scapegoat.

Now, when our pacers are doing very well, we have a shadow of a world-class spinner who is short on confidence and has perhaps accepted that his career is over.

Very informative, thanks again

 

[MenInG]

Once an automatic choice - now not so.

Yasir Shah not in the Test squad for Bangladesh series.

 

[Bewal Express]

Once an automatic choice - now not so.

Yasir Shah not in the Test squad for Bangladesh series.

DRS has killed average leg spinners.

 

[Saj]

Only a matter of time it seems before his international days are over.

Out of favour, fitness issues and now not considered.

 

[MenInG]

So out due to injury:

Ace leg-spinner Yasir Shah will miss Pakistan's two-match Test series in Bangladesh due to a thumb injury, the country's cricket selectors said Monday. The 35-year-old, who has been a match-winner for Pakistan since 2014, taking 235 wickets in 46 Tests, was injured in September. He is replaced by 36-year-old spinner Bilal Asif, who played the most recent of his five Tests in 2018. Pakistan will play three Twenty20 internationals in Dhaka on November 19, 21 and 22 before the two Tests in Chittagong (26-30 November) and Dhaka (4-8 December).

 

[gazza619]

Once an automatic choice - now not so.

Yasir Shah not in the Test squad for Bangladesh series.

Thank God!!!!

 

[gazza619]

DRS has killed average leg spinners.

How?

Yasir was once a very good leg spinner. He has just gone worse with time for some reason.

Nothing to do with DRS I believe.

 

[Bewal Express]

How?

Yasir was once a very good leg spinner. He has just gone worse with time for some reason.

Nothing to do with DRS I believe.

Look at the LBW stats for finger spinners.
The leg spinners had the advantage that they spun the ball both ways but now finger spinners threaten both edges and
They offer you more control and padding away the ball isn't possible with DRS so they get just as many LBWs.

 

[Nasty Naz]

So out due to injury:

Ace leg-spinner Yasir Shah will miss Pakistan's two-match Test series in Bangladesh due to a thumb injury, the country's cricket selectors said Monday. The 35-year-old, who has been a match-winner for Pakistan since 2014, taking 235 wickets in 46 Tests, was injured in September. He is replaced by 36-year-old spinner Bilal Asif, who played the most recent of his five Tests in 2018. Pakistan will play three Twenty20 internationals in Dhaka on November 19, 21 and 22 before the two Tests in Chittagong (26-30 November) and Dhaka (4-8 December).

He hardly plays and is always injured nowadays.

Just a sign of age catching up to him and his fitness was always quite poor. Heck of a career but I hope Pakistan move on from him. His best days are behind him.

 

[Mamoon]

Yasir is over the hill and a liability overseas but he is still in a league of his own when it comes to bowling in Asian conditions.

No spinner in Pakistan is even close to him, so I fail to see why some people are eager to see his back.

 

[Cric1234]

Age is catching up with him people from Pakistan the cricket team are usually up to 3-4 years older than officially stated he can still play in home conditions but in SENA his time is up time to look for someone else a more economical bowler and someone with more batting ability.

 

[shamaan]

Yasir is a automatic selection in asain conditions.

 

[MenInG]

Back in the reckoning but only as Reserve so chances low that he will play in the Test series.