Dubai - Yasir's ability to take wickets on batsmen-friendly pitches have impressed everyone
By KT Sports
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Published: Wed 26 Oct 2016, 6:54 PM
Last updated: Wed 26 Oct 2016, 9:05 PM
Yasir Shah's superb exhibition of leg-spin bowling on a flat Abu Dhabi wicket against the West Indies proved once again that the Pakistani is the best spinner in the world at the moment. Yes, he is better than Ravichandran Ashwin. India's premier off-spinner may have broken many a record in recent times on pitches made to favour bowlers of slow variety, but he struggles to make an impact when the conditions help the batsmen. And this is what separates Yasir from Ashwin. In fact, Yasir was the clear winner of the Khaleej Times poll in September when we asked our readers to pick their best spinner in the world.
The 30-year-old Pakistani player got 69 per cent votes while Ashwin only got 28 per cent. Many of the KT readers stated that Yasir's ability to take wickets in all conditions impressed them. The legendary Indian spinners in the 1970s - Bishan Singh Bedi, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Erapalli Prasanna - used to fox the batsmen with their guile even on seaming wickets in England and New Zealand and on bouncy pitches in Australia and West Indies. They scripted famous Indian Test wins at the Oval (London), Melbourne, Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin and Port of Spain. But it was in the 1990s that Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan took spin bowling to a different level. On the notoriously fast pitches in his home country, Warne took 319 of his 708 Test wickets at an average of 26.39. On those seaming wickets in England, Warne took a staggering 129 wickets at 21. The Australian fast bowlers enjoy playing in South African because of the similar (fast) wickets they encounter, but that didn't stop Warne from troubling their batsmen with his leg spinners (61 wickets at 24.31). Sri Lankan legend Muralitharan took 307 of 800 Test wickets in foreign conditions. The master off-spinner never had a series to remember in Australia (12 wickets at 75.41), but he was unbelievably good in England (48 wickets at 19.20), New Zealand (30 wickets at 19.96), South Africa (35 wickets at 26.02) and the West Indies (37 wickets at 23). Of course, it's too early to predict if Yasir will go on to match such figures in the future. But the early signs are encouraging. His 10-wicket match haul at the Lord's and his five second innings wickets at the Oval helped Pakistan come away with a memorable 2-2 draw in the England Test series. Now another 10-wicket haul against the West Indies on a flat Abu Dhabi pitch cemented his place as the best spinner in the world. His only rival at the moment - Ashwin - has yet to convince the critics of his ability to take wickets abroad. In six Test matches in Australia so far, Ashwin has got only 21 wickets (average 54.71) and he has taken just three wickets at 33.66 in two Test matches in England. The Tamil Nadu off-spinner failed to get a single wicket in the only Test match he played in South Africa, despite bowling 42 overs in that drawn match in Johannesburg. During India's recent home Test series win over New Zealand, Ashwin became the fastest Indian bowler to take 200 wickets with 153 of those wickets coming on Indian dustbowls. But unless he starts making an impact on better wickets, critics will continue to favour Yasir Shah who has so far taken 117 wickets from 18 matches. And his biggest admirer now is none other than Warne. "I have always been a fan since the first time I saw him a while ago. He is probably the best leg-spinner in the world, the way the ball comes out of his hand. He is a wonderful bowler," Warne said after giving the Pakistani a few tips last year. Now Pakistan fans will hope that Yasir will continue to impress everyone with his skills.
Omar Al Marzouqi, who won silver medal in individual showjumping at the Youth Olympics in 2018, will serve as the country’s flag-bearer during the Opening Ceremony
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