YASIR SHAH has done it again. The astute leg-spinner has won yet another Test match for Pakistan. However, this time round, Yasir has surpassed himself, claiming 14 wickets to equal a Pakistan record, and pounding the New Zealanders in Dubai to give his team a series-levelling win in the three-Test series.

In more ways than one, the New Zealand series was seen as a watershed of sorts for Yasir. With some doubts about the Swabi-born bowler’s fitness and form after a hip injury that forced him to miss the Ireland and England tour early this year, Yasir had a stiff challenge before him. But he has more than proved his merit.

He claimed eight wickets in the first Test at Abu Dhabi where a dramatic New Zealand victory upstaged his performance with the ball. In the second Test in Dubai though, he became only the fourth bowler in the annals of the game to snap up 10 wickets in a single day.

Hogging the limelight is nothing new for him. Since his Test debut against Australia in 2014, Yasir, who bears an uncanny resemblance to the legendary Abdul Qadir both in bowling and stature, has been in the habit of making the headlines — a 10-wicket haul at Lord’s in a historic win over formidable England, a shock three-month suspension in 2016 following the inadvertent use of banned substances, a nasty hip injury early this year, and now a brilliant comeback.

Like all cricketing greats before him, Yasir has experienced a lean patch in his four-year career. However, consistency is his virtue, and his impressive career record is a testament to that.

The leg-spinner, who raced to 100 wickets in 17 Tests and 150 wickets in 27 Tests, is just four wickets away from achieving the quickest 200-wicket haul in cricketing history. The third Test in Abu Dhabi will be Yasir’s 33rd and he looks set to break the world record held by Australia’s Clarrie Grimmet for the fastest 200 wickets in 36 Test matches.

Published in Dawn, November 28th, 2018