Published: Jun 22, 2015, 07:30 AM (IST)
Edited: Jun 22, 2015, 05:43 AM (IST)
With the first day of the first Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka washed out, everything hinted towards a draw. Then came a conjurer with his bag of tricks to turn the match on its head. Abhishek Mukherjee lauds Yasir Shah, a champion in the making.
Let me get the numbers out of the way first. Yasir Shah has taken 46 wickets from 8 Tests. This is an incredible statistic, for only seven men have reached the 50-wicket mark in eight Tests or fewer, and only one in the past 30 years. It must be remembered that Yasir is yet to play a Test at home, and is not likely to play one in near future. READ: Pakistan thrash Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in 1st Test at Galle
Yasir is not a freak of nature. He is classical. He does not hesitate to toss the ball up. The ball often dips at an alarming rate. The occasional one zips back. There is another one that scoots through quickly. And to back it all, he has the stamina to bowl all day — something that has been acquired over a decade’s grinding at First-Class level.
Pakistan usually thrust their youngsters on the big stage early, but not Yasir: he had made his debut at 28 after spending 13 years in the domestic circuit. He does not have youth on his side, but he has the experience to more than make up for it. He has tasted failure. He has lived long wicketless spells. They do not matter to him any longer — for he has been there, and done that. READ: Yasir Shah’s 7 for 76 bowls Sri Lanka out for 206
The two-Test series against Australia saw Yasir claim 12 wickets at 17.25. Shane Warne, no less, tweeted that Yasir was a 200-wicket material.
I’m liking my man Yasir Shah’s energy & shape on the ball, also his over spinner & patience !! He’s going to take 200 + test wickets
— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) November 2, 2014
Less than three weeks after the comment Yasir picked up his first five-wicket haul, against New Zealand at Dubai. Memories of Warne were evoked when a ball pitched way outside off, turned the proverbial mile, and ran through the gate to clean bowl Corey Anderson. READ: Yasir Shah hopes to emulate Shane Warne
If Warne’s compliments were not enough, another legend of the sport followed suit. An impressed Anil Kumble tweeted that afternoon.
Like the look of leggie Yasir shah #PakvNZ @ICC
— Anil Kumble (@anilkumble1074) November 20, 2014
Yasir, as if on cue, bowled one on length that evening. It took off to kiss BJ Watling’s glove a la Kumble, and that was that. He took his maiden fifer next morning, but he had merely started.
It is not every day that a four-Test old cricketer earns respect from the two most prolific men of his trade. With 1,327 Test wickets between them, Warne and Kumble had seen what they needed to. A toast must have been raised to Yasir at some non-existent leg-spinners’ convention. READ: Yasir Shah, the new spin sensation of Pakistan
But they refused to acknowledge him. The pundits did not think too highly of him when Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes escaped unscathed with a 312-run stand at Khulna. Then came Galle, where the first day was washed out completely, and with some outstanding players of spin on either side, nobody thought the Test was headed for a result.
Sri Lanka scored 300, and batted well into Day Three. Yasir had 2 for 79. None of the wickets were of top-order batsmen. Pakistan were reduced to 35 for 3. At stumps they were 118 for 5. Sri Lanka smelled victory.
But the lower-order responded on the fourth morning. Sarfraz Ahmed began the onslaught with an outrageous 86-ball 96. Asad Shafiq held one end up with a patient 131. Yasir contributed with a hard-hit 23. And Zulfiqar Babar brought the fans to their feet with an exhilarating 56. READ: Lack of cricket affecting youngsters
The fans were sceptic. Rameez Raja, in the commentary box, wanted Misbah-ul-Haq to declare about 50 behind Sri Lanka’s score. But Misbah batted on till his side were bowled out. The lead had amounted to 117. Sri Lanka had to bat for over an hour on Day Four. It was Pakistan’s Test to lose now.
The early jolt came from Wahab Riaz, who accounted for Kaushal Silva, hero of the first innings, with a crafty slower delivery. But Dimuth Karunaratne looked solid, and at the other end there was Kumar Sangakkara — a man they, statisticians and critics and more, rate the batsman of the millennium.
This was Yasir’s big challenge. He had to topple Sangakkara. If not, he had to run through the rest. He bowled one that hurried on to Karunaratne, but the youngster survived the LBW call. Karunaratne responded with a boundary past wide long-on. And Sangakkara, master of spin, the greatest batsman Sri Lanka had produced, dismissed one disdainfully past square-leg, following with another straight boundary.
Two overs were left in the day. Yasir was to bowl to Sangakkara. He would get six balls. He had to do something different. He came from round the wicket.
It pitched outside off, and once again it came back sharply with a vicious bounce. Sangakkara had committed himself on the front foot. He had never expected the sharp turn or the awkward bounce. It was an easy chance for Azhar Ali.
Dilruwan Perera had neither the technique nor the temperament for a night-watchman. Worse, he had been one of Yasir’s two victims in the first innings. He tried to cut one low and close, and missed completely. He lived to see the day, but shouldered arms to one on the stumps first ball next day. The ball did not turn an inch. Off-stump was uprooted.
Then came a period of lull, when Karunaratne and Lahiru Thirimanne decided to dig in and smother the spin. The innings defeat was saved, but Wahab struck soon, having Thirimanne caught at slip.
Angelo Mathews, one of the most improved batsmen in recent past, was taken care off. It pitched outside leg and came in sharply, took the inside edge (or did it?), and went to short-leg. Mathews reviewed, but in vain.
Karunaratne decided to counterattack, to stretch the lead as much as possible: Yasir was slog-swept and driven through cover for fours. Neither shot was convincing. Then Yasir reminded Galle of the Victorian blonde yet again with one that spun across Karunaratne.
Karunaratne had enough. He decided to go for the kill. Did Yasir sense it? The ball dipped early, Karunaratne was nowhere close to the pitch, missed it by plenty, and was stumped for 79. Sri Lanka led by a mere 50. Their tail had been exposed.
Dinesh Chandimal batted sensibly, handling Yasir well, something that Kithuruwan Vithanage might have tried. Unfortunately, his eyes lit up when Yasir tossed one up. Self-restraint was forgotten. Vithanage holed out to deep square-leg.
Dhammika Prasad was removed by Babar. Then Rangana Herath, having done the same thing to unsuspecting batsmen across the world hundreds of times, fell for the trap and hit one to deep mid-wicket.
But there was still Chandimal to be taken care of — remember his innings against Australia? Would it be wise to bowl flatter to him and go for Nuwan Pradeep instead? Many would have done the same, but not Yasir. Once again that flight came into action: Chandimal, all caution forgotten, stepped out for the big shot; the bails were whipped.
The numbers read 7 for 76. They were the best by a visiting bowler of any genre on Sri Lankan soil. They were also the best by a leg-spinner, local or otherwise, in the land of Muttiah Muralitharan. Yasir broke the record of a certain Shane Warne, who had taken 7 for 94 in 2002.
When historians of the future will look back at the match, they will have the advantage of video — something that a Bill O’Reilly or a Clarrie Grimmett never left behind, barring some grainy indecipherable shots.
Footages will tell them how similar to Warne he was. They will know how this man had single-handedly breathed life into a Test that was, for everyone, closed for Pakistan. They will watch in awe the art of a man who was never afraid to toss the ball up even to the masters of spin. They will take notes, for this is probably the Test that will catapult Yasir into the next level.
Keep bowling, Yasir. Keep your head high when you run in against these bludgeoners who use clubs and maces for bats. Do not flinch if you get hit, for your idol Warne never did the same. Do not lose hope, for Kumble, a man who admires you, never did.
You have to go on, for cricket needs you. The likes of you can help restore balance between bat and ball, can draw spectators even if a day has been washed off, can make bowling a joy to watch.
Postscript:
Yasir looks like Lionel Messi, but the cricket fan in me was annoyed when Pakistani fans called him the Messi of Pakistan, for the phrase belittles him, for Yasir is destined to be champion, for he is all set to be one of the finest leg-spinners of the 21st century.
Maybe they will call Messi the Argentine Yasir Shah some day.
(Abhishek Mukherjee is the Chief Editor and Cricket Historian at CricketCountry. He blogs here and can be followed on Twitter here.)
