LAHORE: Former Test spinner Mushtaq Ahmed has again staged a comeback to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) as bowling coach and his first assignment is to work with leg-spinner Yasir Shah.

Though the 33-year-old Yasir was part of Pakistan’s Test squad which is currently playing the first Test of the two-match home series against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi, he has been released after not being selected for the opening Test, owing to poor run of form.

Yasir, who is the fastest bowler to take 200 Test wickets which he achieved in his 33rd Test against New Zealand last year in Abu Dhabi, struggled against Australia last month in the away two-Test series which Pakistan lost 2-0. He took four wickets for 205 runs in Brisbane and remained wicketless in Adelaide.

Now Yasir will rejoin the team in Karachi on Dec 16 before the start of the second Test starting on Dec 19.

Meanwhile, the PCB announced that it has hired the services of Mushtaq a week ago. The 49-year-old ex-Test leg-spinner had been relieved from the same job by the PCB in April this year as the bowler joined West Indies’ national team as their spin bowling consultant.

Earlier, Mushtaq also worked for Pakistan team in 2014 after he was relieved by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) as their spin bowling coach.

Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2019