Catch the video of Shah’s fabulous spell below:
England might not be a happy hunting ground for spinners, but if a spinner can genuinely turn the ball and be accurate, then there might be some assistance. Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah, who along with pacer Mohammed Amir was marking his return to test cricket, had an unforgettable outing at the iconic Lord’s as he grabbed a six-wicket haul in England’s first innings.
Shah, who was banned by the ICC on account of doping late, last year, made a stellar return to the international scene as he grabbed eyeballs in the opening test of the four-match series. The spotlight might have been on the returning Mohammed Amir, but the talented leggie stole the show with his fine accuracy and sharp guile.
England were placed comfortably at one stage at 118-1 with skipper Alastair Cook and Joe Root in the middle grinding it out. Upon Shah’s introduction, Root had a lapse in concentration as he attempted a wild slog, only to be caught near the 30-yard circle. It must be said that Root’s wicket led to England’s sudden collapse as Yasir seemed to be all over the hosts with his sharp leg spin.
Shah’s next victim was James Vince, whose stay at the crease against the leg-spinner was rather inviolable. The 30-year-old put an end to Vince’s horrible stay in the middle with a straighter one as the batsman tried to shuffle his way across only to be trapped plumb in front.
But the ball to dismiss southpaw Gary Ballance was probably his best delivery as it hit the left-hander perfectly in front of the wickets. Shah didn’t turn the ball too much, but just did enough to hit the batsman on his pads and ensured that he was right in front of the stumps.
Dismissing in the form of wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow was the key, and the leggie did just that with a quicker one. Bairstow attempted a cut shot only has his stumps lying around in a mess on a straight delivery. Moeen Ali too was trapped LBW as he tried a sweep shot.
Tailender Steven Finn became Shah’s sixth victim as he too was undone by a straighter one in front of the wickets. All in all, it was a refreshing spell from Shah, who has clearly made a lasting impression in his first concrete tour outside Asia. His brilliance in the first innings was so lethal that it has single-handedly put Pakistan into a match-winning a position as chasing anything above 250 is quite a task at the Lord’s.