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Pakistani cricketer Yasir Shah dedicates his 14 wickets to his late mother

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Pakistani cricketer Yasir Shah dedicates his 14 wickets to his late mother
Pakistan's leg-spinner Yasir Shah took 14 wickets in the second Test against New Zealand

Dubai - The 32-year-old Yasir needs five wickets in three Tests to eclipse Grimmett and become the fastest to 200 Test wickets

By Rituraj Borkakoty

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Published: Thu 29 Nov 2018, 9:06 PM

In a wintry Lahore evening in 2006, Virender Sehwag's reply to a question raised eyebrows in Indian media.
After having shared an unbroken 403-run first-wicket partnership with Rahul Dravid on the fourth day of a rain-hit Test against Pakistan, Sehwag was asked what it would be like to break the long-standing record of Pankaj Roy and Vinoo Mankad.
In 1956, Roy and Mankad shared a world record 413-run opening partnership against New Zealand in Chennai.
Sehwag and Dravid had a chance to rewrite the record books in that Lahore Test.
So a journalist asked Sehwag if he knew he was on the threshold of achieving something remarkable with Dravid.
But in his inimitable style, Sehwag replied that he had no clue who Roy and Mankad were and what they did in cricket.
Sehwag's response sparked a big debate in India with former captain Dilip Vengsarkar even slamming the Delhi player for his "lack of knowledge and awareness about Indian cricketing history and tradition".
Now 12 years later in Dubai, Pakistan's leg-spinner Yasir Shah found himself in a similar position when a journalist asked him if he had heard of Clarrie Grimmett - the New Zealand-born Australian leg-spinner.

The 32-year-old Yasir needs five wickets in three Tests to eclipse Grimmett and become the fastest to 200 Test wickets.
Grimmett became the fastest to 200 wickets in 1936.
So when a journalist asked Yasir if he had heard of Grimmett, the affable Pakistani smiled before admitting that he knew nothing about the pre-World War II cricket great.
"Look, I didn't know about him. He set the record 82 years ago. But I have seen his name recently. Now as I have come close to breaking his record, they keep showing his name on the television screen," Yasir smiled.
That smile never leaves Yasir's face when he talks.
It's just that batsmen watch in horror when he releases his magical leg-spinners.
The look on the Kiwi faces said it all on a dramatic third day of the second Test in Dubai when Yasir became the first Pakistani to take 10 wickets in a day.
With 14 wickets, he also equaled Imran Khan's record of most dismissals in a game in Pakistan Test history.
But it wasn't easy for Yasir emotionally to handle the pressure of international cricket days after his mother passed away in Pakistan.
"Yes, it was tough for me to play here after her demise," he said.
"I am missing my mother. When I used to go for a match, I would call my mother. I always asked her to pray for me to get five wickets.
"She used to ask me: 'Why five and why not 10?'
"Her words kept coming to my mind when I took those 10 wickets in a day. So I dedicate this to my mother."
Now inspired by his late mother's words, Yasir could break Grimmett's 82-year record in the next Test in Abu Dhabi.
Sehwag, on the other hand, failed to be a part of history in that Lahore Test as he was caught behind off Naved-ul-Hasan with his opening partnership with Dravid falling three runs short of Roy and Mankad's!
rituraj@khaleejtimes.com
 



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