I had worked hard for the first Test: Yasir Shah

Pakistan leg-spinner says he could have been effective on the slow Abu Dhabi pitch


Sports Desk October 18, 2015
PHOTO: AFP

Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah said he had worked hard and prepared well for the first Test against England after looking at the slow Abu Dhabi pitch but was unlucky to miss out due to injury.

The leggie, who suffered back spasms during practice just a day before the match, was greatly missed by the team as per spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed as the injury caused Pakistan to go into the first Test with only one specialist spinner Zulfiqar Babar.

Read: Pakistan missed Yasir Shah's 'key' presence, says Mushtaq

"I had worked very hard for the first Test after seeing the pitch in Abu Dhabi it was disappointing to miss out," Yasir said on a local television channel, as quoted by NDTV.

"It was a slow track but it had something for the leg-spinners. I was prepared to push the ball through and focus on line and length for long spells in the test.”

Read: First Pakistan-England Test ends in a draw

Yasir, who has already bagged 61 wickets in just 10 outings since his debut last September, said that he was working on perfecting his googly.

"The googly is one delivery on which I have yet to get full mastery and I am working hard on it since it is a wicket taking delivery on such slow pitches," he said.

Pakistan’s former leg-spinner Abdul Qadir told Press Trust of India commented on Yasir success and said he can be lethal if he master the googly.

"He bowls the flipper well but he needs to also gain control over the googly which is a must for all great leg-spin bowlers," said Qadir.

Read: Yasir will be match-fit for second Test, says Pakistan team manager

Qadir added that England leggie Adil Rashid’s fifer shows how effective Yasir could have been on that Abu Dhabi pitch.

"He is a very confident bowler that is his strength and he is not afraid of getting hit. That is the hallmark of a good leg-spinner," said Qadir, adding that if Yasir is available for the second Test then he can cause some serious trouble for the English batsmen.

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