Leg spin is an art only few have managed to master. But those who have done so have been treated as nothing short of heroes and legends back in their homelands. If you’re a leg spinner there is a very fine line between getting hit for boundaries bowling the wrong line, and bagging wickets by bamboozling the batsmen and disturbing the stumps. That is the sole reason why leg spinners are rare. That is why leg spin is an art, difficult to master.
The Pakistan cricket team has struggled to find quality leg spinners for the past two decades. World class fast bowlers, including the likes of Fazal Mehmood, Sarfraz Nawaz, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Irfan have terrorized the batsmen for a long time but gone are the days when Pakistani leg spinners confused the batsmen as they spun webs around them, trapping them up front and bagging their prized wickets.
The last time the world saw a quality Pakistani leg spinner was way back in 1977 when Abdul Qadir first introduced himself on the world stage. Such was the flare of Qadir that he managed to stun the batsmen, confusing them into playing shots down the wrong line as the ball spun viciously, rattling the stumps or trapping the helpless batsman up front. Qadir, soon, became a hero for Pakistan and a legend of the beautiful game claiming 236 scalps including 15 five wicket hauls at an amazing average of 32.80.
Pakistan cricket has not had the merriest times thus far in the last decade or so with controversies looming large almost every time. Whether it’s the spot fixing allegations, fights within the dressing rooms, the misconduct of players or the banning of players due to illegal bowling actions, Pakistan has always been in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.
Pakistan cricket team has been seriously affected by the absence of Saeed Ajmal who has had to tweak his action in order to obey the new ICC rules. After his omission from the team, Pakistan is in the 'rebuilding phase' at the moment, desperately in search for an ace spinner. Well, Pakistan might just have the answer in the shape of the emerging and promising leg spinner, Yasir Shah.
Yasir Shah has turned quite a few heads especially in the longer format of the game. Legends like Shane Warne have been all praises for the young man saying: “I like this new leggie. Yasir's a promising lad”. These compliments are just enough to gain worldwide attention but Yasir has let his wrists do the talking.
The 29-year-old has already taken 30 wickets in his 6 matches he has played recently breaking Shane Warne's record when he bagged a seven for against Sri Lanka just earlier. He spun his way to the top as he troubled the Sri Lankan batting line up with his variety of leg spin.
Reaching such heights and breaking such records at a very early stage of his career gives the man from Swabi a huge boost in confidence. Hopefully, with many Tests more to play, Yasir will be looking to impress even more with his googlies, top spinners and zooters as he works his way to the top.
Looking at what Yasir Shah has to offer, it can safely be said that Pakistan's spin department is in very safe hands or should one say 'very safe wrists'.