A late bloomer on the international scene, Yasir Shah has wasted no time in establishing himself as Pakistan's main spin weapon especially with the decline in form of Pakistan's other trusted spinner Saeed Ajmal. At the age of twenty-eight, Yasir made his Test debut against the much fancied Australians in the UAE in 2014 and immediately announced his arrival with twelve wickets in two Test matches. Even the legendary Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne could not contain his excitement at Yasir's progress and tweeted about Yasir's "energy and shape on the ball" and concluded that the Pakistan spinner would easily take 200+ Test wickets.

With sixty-one wickets to his name in just ten Test matches, the ebullient Yasir Shah is looking forward to his next assignment for Pakistan against a supremely confident England side in the UAE. In an exclusive interview with PakPassion.net, Yasir spoke about the reasons behind his late start in First-Class and Test cricket, his continuous drive to improve his bowling skills with the help of Mushtaq Ahmed, the expectations behind his role as Pakistan's top spin bowler and also looked forward to the upcoming series against England.

PakPassion.net : Your First-Class debut happened in the 2001/2002 season. Why did it take so long for you to make a mark at the highest level of cricket?

Yasir Shah : In the initial stages, I played at the Under 19 level for Pakistan but then I was selected to play First-Class cricket for the Rest of North West Frontier Province (NWFP) team in 2001/2002. Even at that time, I felt that my bowling did not have the maturity needed to succeed at that level. The four day game was a bit of a mystery for me at that point in time. It was clear to me that I needed to improve the standard of my bowling and I quickly came to the conclusion that I needed to work on my bowling. I did this by playing Grade 2 cricket before making a comeback in First-Class cricket by representing the Karachi based Dewan Farooq Motor Limited for almost three years. Once past this stage, I joined Pakistan Customs in 2007/2008 and then onto SNGPL to make a comeback in First-Class. My move into First-Class cricket was a measured and a step-by-step approach. It may have appeared slow to others but there was a process to this.


PakPassion.net : Moving on from there, you played your first ODI in September 2011 and then played the next one in February of 2015. What was the reason for that delay?

Yasir Shah : The reason for this is simply the fact that Shahid Afridi stopped playing in ODIs and that gave me an opportunity to make room for myself in the team. When there is a bowler of the stature of Shahid Afridi in the team, there was no realistic way in which I could be included in the ODI team. He was not in the team for the Zimbabwe tour so I got my big chance to make a debut and picked up two wickets in that game. After that it was just a matter of waiting for me as a senior player like Shahid Afridi will definitely get preference over a younger and inexperienced player.

I never lost hope or gave up during this period in which I could not get a place in the team. My aim was to be ready for whenever the call-up came so that I could perform to the best of my abilities for the team and also serve my country. I continued my hard work during this period and the Almighty rewarded me for my patience.


PakPassion.net : Your Test debut happened at the age of twenty-eight which must have been a source of concern for you as well?

Yasir Shah : That really was down the quality of my bowling. I know for a fact that my googly was not that effective which is what I continued to work upon in domestic cricket. I knew that a leg-spinner could be very useful in Test cricket but I needed to improve my bowling and I had to work hard to achieve that. This was the reason why I was eventually selected and was able to attain success at the Test level.

Also remember that my learning has not stopped just because I have been selected and played a few Test matches. I am still learning and my aim is to bowl with variation and also to make my action repeatable which is important for success at this level. This is where I must mention the role that the coaching staff, especially our spin coach Mushtaq Ahmed, have played in my continuous improvement since the time I have been associated with the Pakistan team. This is one reason that my bowling technique has steadily become better and best of all, my googly has really improved as a result of advice from such experience bowlers. Not only that, I am also working to refine my top-spinner and flipper.

I'm happy with how things have gone so far for me in international cricket, but I feel that my best is yet to come.


PakPassion.net : Sixty-one wickets in just ten Test matches. Did you ever imagine you would experience so much success in such a short period of time?

Yasir Shah : Since I have started playing cricket at the top level, I have always wanted to do the best for my Pakistan team. I recall when I made my debut against Australia in the UAE, I was feeling very unsure and flustered in the first few overs as I felt that I was bowling against the very best. I was being hit about a bit initially but then Waqar Younis and Mushtaq Ahmed told me that they were only attacking me because they were afraid of my bowling. They were trying to hit me out of the attack but that was a sign that they respected me and I should bowl in the same way that I bowl in First-Class cricket, without fear. I took that advice on board and started to bowl with great concentration and the results were for all to see.


PakPassion.net : You seem to have a very happy demeanor on the field and do not appear worried, even during your debut. Is that something you have worked upon or is that your nature?

Yasir Shah : I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t a bundle of nerves when I started playing international cricket at the highest level. But what changes all that is the support one receives from his colleagues and especially the senior players. That helped me relax a bit but to be honest, what you see on the ground is my natural behavior and I really don’t have to work hard to maintain it!


PakPassion.net : Is sledging something you have considered when things aren’t going your way or as a weapon against the opposition?

Yasir Shah : I have absolutely no interest in that. My job is to bowl well for Pakistan and if there is any talking to be done, my bowling does that for me. Even if someone from the opposition speaks to me to try and irritate me, I become more determined to answer him with my bowling. Even when I am batting or fielding, I will work on the same idea which is to let my skills reply to any kind of provocation.


PakPassion.net : Shane Warne seems to have a lot of praise for you, have you met him and what advice did he give to you?

Yasir Shah : He has always been my favourite bowler. It is a matter of great honour for me that he admires my bowling and he also tweeted about my bowling during the series against Australia in the UAE (2014). I felt so proud that a bowler who I admire so much and one who was considered to be one of the best in his trade has words of praise for me.

I met him twice in Australia where we were joined by Mushtaq Ahmed and Brett Lee. Basically, he advised me to continue bowling in the way I am bowling and to make sure that my action was repeatable. He also asked me to take my time when things weren't going my way, to slow things down by taking my time to set the field so that it relieves pressure on me. He didn’t feel that my bowling action or style needed changing but his advice was more about general aspects of my game. It was a great feeling to be able to talk to him about these things and this is something I will cherish.


PakPassion.net : Do you feel there is more pressure to perform on you now as you are now a known entity?

Yasir Shah : I really don’t worry about these things. I work on my bowling to make sure that I am doing my basics right and do the best for Pakistan with whatever skills I have. As far as video footage of my bowling being available to the opposition is concerned, there really isn’t much I can do about that but also remember, even I have the ability to examine in detail the weaknesses of opposition batsmen. I also analyse on video the style of batting and potential holes in the techniques of batsmen and formulate my plan along with my coaches. For example, I am already watching videos of some of the England players batting to see how I can attack them and take advantage of their weaknesses in the upcoming series to be played in the UAE. So it works both ways. Of course watching a bowler bowl on video is one thing, playing him in real life in a real match situation is another thing altogether.


PakPassion.net : There is a general impression that England’s batting is weak against spin. Do you agree with that assessment?

Yasir Shah : That is something no one can say until we play them in UAE. What we can do is to work on our plans and for me to bowl with enough variation to confuse the batsmen. This will be my objective regardless of who or which opposition I am bowling at.


PakPassion.net : Can Pakistan repeat the 3-0 Test series success against England in the upcoming series?

Yasir Shah : I feel that we are a very strong team with the batting anchored around Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan and Mohammad Hafeez. All of these seniors are a great help and support for the very talented youngsters and less experienced players in the squad. The seniors treat the juniors as equals and the morale of the team is very high and the team is united which is a great feeling and makes me very confident about the upcoming series against England.


PakPassion.net : How does it feel as a Pakistani player to not to be able to play in front of home crowds in Pakistan?

Yasir Shah : This is very saddening for me. Not for myself but for the youngsters who are playing cricket in Pakistan or want to start playing this game. They are unable to see the top teams of the world play at their home grounds. For young players, it is essential that they are able to play against international teams in their home environment. This is the real tragedy of the situation we are in as regards to the absence of international tours to Pakistan.


PakPassion.net : The announcement about the Pakistan Super League (PSL) must have filled you with excitement as well?

Yasir Shah : This is a big thing for Pakistan cricket. I look at the likes of Bangladesh which has its own league and we can see the effect of that in the way their international team is performing where they have beaten the top teams of the world at home. Similarly, this will be a great opportunity for our youngsters to play alongside and against some of the top international players and learn from that experience. I am sure the result of such contact will be visible in the coming few years as the Pakistan team will start producing more talented youngsters.


PakPassion.net : How do you handle the pressure of being classed as Pakistan’s number one spinner at the moment?

Yasir Shah : I don’t feel the pressure but it is true that there is an expectation for me to take a wicket every time I bowl. People who are watching want me to succeed when I bowl and I understand that. The only way to answer that expectation is to work even harder with my coaches and improve my bowling and put in match winning performances for Pakistan.


PakPassion.net : Do you feel that you have it in you to perform well on non-spinning tracks as well?

Yasir Shah : This is foremost on my mind. Even my practice sessions are on pitches which offer little or no assistance to spinners, where the ball does not “break”; so I am aware of this issue. On such pitches, your line and length are crucial and I work on that. Mushtaq Ahmed, our spin coach, is always there when I am practicing and we discuss bowling on such tracks and he advises me on my technique all the time. He compiles videos of my bowling and then analyses it with me sitting next to him. We then discuss any areas of improvement which are clear from the videos and we work on fixing them in the nets. The amount of work put in by our coaches in general is amazing and we all appreciate that.


PakPassion.net : Your resemblance with Lionel Messi has been discussed before, but do you share his skills with the football as well or not?

Yasir Shah : I do play football in my leisure time or at the end of a net or practice session. It’s a nice way to relax and it's funny when people say I look like Messi. I'm not as good as him but I can play some good football.

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