Pakistan usually have several quality legspinners in their domestic circuit but it has taken four years for one to reach the national team after the decline of Danish Kaneria. And this time the legspinner has emerged from the northern Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - a region which is more renowned for producing aggressive fast bowlers. Yasir Shah announced himself on the Test stage with a three-wicket haul that helped Pakistan take a hefty first-innings lead.
Shah, 28, is a Pathan by ethnicity and was born in the town of Swabi but mostly played cricket in nearby Peshawar due to the lack of cricket facilities in his hometown. He isn't someone plucked from obscurity and pitchforked into the national team. He has played at every rung Under-19s upwards but found it difficult to secure a place thanks to the presence of Kaneria, Abdur Rehman and Saeed Ajmal over the past decade.
In nearly 13 years since his first-class debut, he has 279 wickets at 24.43 in 76 matches. He did earn his ODI and T20 debut soon after the 2011 World Cup but with Ajmal developing into a world-class performer, Shah couldn't establish himself. Now with Ajmal facing an uncertain future due to his suspect bowling action, Shah has been afforded another chance. He hails from the same town that produced Pakistan left-arm pacer Junaid Khan and legspinner Fawad Ahmed, who represented Australia in 2013 after being fast-tracked to citizenship.
Pakistan has a great history with legspinners, starting from Amir Elahi during the country's early days in international cricket to Intikhab Alam, Abdul Qadir, Mushtaq Ahmed and Danish Kaneria. It's a list Shah aims to join.
"I have been waiting for the chance for so long," Shah said with a big smile after the third day's play in Dubai. "I think it's still not late as I have plenty of cricket ahead of me. I had obviously played my whole career in domestic wishing to play Test cricket so I am happy with the opportunity that finally came my way."
Shah grew up watching plenty of Shane Warne videos but his action and stride are different from Warne. He has more of a fast bowler's temperament, constantly attacking the batsman. While commenting on Shah, Warne said: "I like the look of this leggie Yasir Shah, plenty of energy & nice variations of pace."
When Shah was informed that his hero Warne had praised his bowling, his face lit up. He thanked Warne for his kind words. "I actually started bowling legspin watching Shane Warne and he is my idol so I am privileged that he has acknowledged me. My brother who is in UK used to show me his videos and send me the copies so I tried to model my career watching him. I really appreciate the comment by such a legendary player."
His sixth ball in Test cricket was a no-ball, which was reverse swept by David Warner for a boundary. It was the first no-ball by a Pakistani spinner in the last two years. He conceded six fours and two sixes and conceded four runs per over - the most expensive bowler in the side. He however delivered quality spells, besides getting the crucial wickets of David Warner and Steven Smith. "Initially, to concentrate on line and length, I had to bowl a little quick, as it helped me get into the proper position and land the ball in the right spot," he said.
Yasir also said the experienced pair of Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan gave him plenty of advice. "Obviously on a debut you are nervous but I got off to a good start and that further gave me confidence. I was positive as I viewed the match as similar to a domestic game. I am happy I have got an important wicket like Warner."
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