LONDON - Pakistan leg spinner Yasir Shah has said that the secret behind his success is that he plays every match like his last.
“I always have a great desire to perform well for Pakistan in every match. I make a separate plan for each game, and I play every match like it's my last one. You can't take it easy. Cricket is such a game that you can be knocked down at any point. It's a game you have to respect. You need a repeatable action. If your action doesn't fall away, you bowl in the same area, contain the batsman and make life more difficult for him," Yasir said here on Friday.
Speaking about success story at the Lord’s, Yasir said: “I thank Allah for what I achieved. It was a dream come true. My aim was to contain the batsmen and support our fast bowlers. I bowled my first three or four overs tightly, without conceding many runs, and bowling the ball in the same area. But when I realised I was getting help from the wicket - some balls were going straight on and others were turning - I decided to attack. Luckily I was successful.” About his leg spin bowling, he said: “Practice is very important for a leg spinner. You need to practise every day and that's how you get control. Also, you need a repeatable action. If your action doesn't fall away, you bowl in the same area, contain the batsman and make life more difficult for him.”
When asked about his late arrival on the international scene, he said: “I made my first class debut in 2003. I played a couple of first-class matches and then I didn't play for three years. I played Grade-II club cricket instead. The reason was that when I played first-class cricket, my bowling wasn't what I thought it should be for a first-class bowler. It wasn't properly first-class standard that's why I played Grade-II. After that, I played first-class cricket for Customs, and I think I took 34 wickets in five matches. In 2011, I played against Zimbabwe when Waqar Younis was the coach. I took two wickets in a one-day match, and I also played T20s. I saw the standard of international cricket and I started working harder. I was out of the team and my plan was that when I returned, I'd be a regular player and a major player. That was my ambition and it made me put in more effort.” About his ambitions, Yasir said: “To keep playing, to remain fit and to keep performing as well as I can. However long I play, I want to play for Pakistan's pride and help Pakistan win. I'm very happy my name is on the honours board at Lord's and I'm confident we can keep performing well and keep winning in England.”