Pakistan’s leg-spinning maestro Yasir Shah believes his stint with the Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash last year will assist him in scripting the downfall of some of the fresh faces in the Australia line-up in the upcoming Test series.
Shah played seven games for the Heat in which he took five wickets, but it is the time he spent with in the dressing room alongside Matthew Renshaw, Marnus Labuschagne and Brendon Doggett along with his battles against the likes of Travis Head that will prove to be profitable according to the ace spinner.
As many as three players are expected to debut for Australia in the first Test of the two-match series that gets underway in Dubai on Sunday and Shah is hoping his expertise in the conditions will make it tough for the young Australian batsmen.
“Yes, it is a new-looking team, but there are three or four guys that I have played with at the Brisbane Heat and that is certainly to going to help me when it comes to planning. I have seen enough of the other players and also playing against them during my stint in Australia so I know what to expect.” Shah told Cricbuzz after a training session at the ICC cricket Academy in Dubai.
“Someone like Aaron Finch is a real aggressive batsman, others are different, but at the end of the day if I can execute my plans diligently I can deceive them.
“At the end of the day I know what has worked for me in these conditions and the way I have bowled in the past, I know if I can repeat that then I can be successful.”
Shah had a disappointing tour of Australia two summers ago, but the wily leg-spinner is expected to pose plenty of headaches for the visitors on the dry, dusty, spin-friendly pitches of the Emirates Nation where he has taken 79 wickets in just 12 matches.
In the corresponding series four years ago, Shah took 12 wickets at 17.13 as Pakistan inflicted a two nil whitewash against an Australia batting line-up consisting of Michael Clarke, David Warner, and Steven Smith. The Australian batting might not have the same prowess this time around, but Shah is not taking the opposition lightly.
“Everyone is calling them an inexperienced team because Warner and Smith are not there, but a lot of the guys have played a fair bit of first-class cricket and some of course international cricket. Having spent time in Australia, I know how competitive Australian first-class cricket is, so we are not underestimating their batsmen at all. We are expecting to be a real tough series.”
Shah missed Pakistan’s most recent Test series in England due to a hip injury and has not played Test cricket for over a year. Shah stated that he had spent the time away working on his fitness and had shed a few kilos ahead of the upcoming series to ensure he is physically at the top of his game.
“I have been very conscious of being in good shape ahead of the series. I was watching my weight and had a specific diet during my recovery at the national academy.
“It has been really hot in Dubai and I know I will need to bowl a lot of overs, so it was important I was ready for all the challenges. I feel refresh and I’m really delighted to be back playing Test cricket again,” he said buzzing with excitement.
While Shah refused to divulge into his plans for the Australian top-order, he did state that it was important to keep it simple and let the pitch play havoc on the batsmen mind.
“The pitches in Dubai are such that some balls will turn and some will go straight. It is important to be accurate and keep pitching the ball in the right place because the natural variation always makes it difficult for the batsmen.”
Asked to rate Pakistan chances ahead of the series Shah said: “It gives us confidence that our batsmen have some form under their belt. A youngster like Imam-ul- Haq has been performing well in international cricket; we have experienced players like Mohammad Hafeez, who just scored a double hundred in domestic cricket – so I believe our batsmen are in good form and can put up good scores. Add to that [the fact that] we have a good bowling attack, so we are really looking forward to the challenge.”