Yasir earns himself second spot, praise from Warne

Legendary Australian labels 29-year-old best leg-spinner in the world

DUBAI: It has been one hell of a week for leg-spinner Yasir Shah. After helping his side claim a crucial win in the second Test against England with eight wickets in the match, he has climbed to second in the ICC Test rankings that were released on Tuesday while also earning praise from Australian legend Shane Warne.

There is no better source of praise for Yasir than the man widely regarded as the greatest leg-spinner of all time, who labelled the 29-year-old the best spinner around. “I think Yasir is a real hustle and bustle leg-spinner. To me, he is the best leg-spinner in international cricket at the moment. He is a wonderful bowler,” said Warne, who claimed 708 wickets in Tests.

Given that Yasir is still in the qualification period for bowlers, it is likely that he will be able to further reduce the 78-point gap with world number one Dale Steyn if he puts in another solid show in the Sharjah Test against England.

Warne wants to train with Yasir Shah

Pakistan’s newly crowned record Test scorer Younus Khan, captain Misbahul Haq and right-handed batsman Asad Shafiq have also reaped the rewards of good performances in the Dubai Test. Younus has returned to the top five at fifth, Misbah is knocking on the doors of the top 10 at 11th, while Shafiq is just one behind his skipper on a career-best 12th spot.

Despite his side’s defeat, there was good news for Joe Root as he reclaimed top spot with an 88 and 71. Root, who entered the Test trailing Steven Smith by 13 points, now leads the Australian skipper by three points. This means the Yorkshire batsman will have to perform strongly in the third Test as well to retain the position he first achieved following the Trent Bridge Test against Australia in August. 

Published in The Express Tribune, October 28^th, 2015.

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