Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed has backed Yasir Shah to be more lethal with the ball after enduring a difficult Test in the drawn match against Australia.
Yasir returned to the five-day game for the first time in a year after recovering from a hip injury but the leg-spinner, identified by many to play a decisive role in the series, wasn’t at his best.
The 32-year-old went wicketless in the first four days of the first Test but came alive on the final day, taking four scalps including centurion Usman Khawaja but Australia held on for a thrilling draw in Dubai on Thursday.
He finished the match with figures of 4-194 but Sarfraz insists the way Yasir claimed his four wickets was enough to suggest he can produce the goods consistently when the second and final Test in Abu Dhabi begins on Tuesday.
“He is playing a Test match after almost one year,” said Sarfraz. “He bowled well in domestic matches but there is a lot more pressure in a Test match. This was his first game so hopefully he will bounce back strongly in the next match. He is our main bowler and we need to support him because he has been a great performer for Pakistan in the past.”
One of the bowlers who impressed for Pakistan was Test debutant Bilal Asif. The 33-year-old off-spinner had a strong start to his red-ball international career, taking six wickets in the first innings. However, he wasn’t able to replicate that in the second, finishing with 0-87.
Sarfraz Ahmed has backed Yasir Shah to bounce back
Sarfraz admits pressure may have got to Asif in the second innings but believes he will play a vital role in the series.
“In the first innings, he got great bounce, had good pace and got wickets. On the fourth day, you have to bowl different. We have discussed with him. He does not have much experience with first-class cricket too. We told him how to bowl on the fifth day and how to create pressure. He has just started and is a great bowler. I think he can be a great performer for Pakistan.”
Ultimately, Pakistan were denied by the brilliance of Khawaja, hitting 141 runs to register his seventh Test century. The opener batted nearly the entire day on Thursday and while he was dismissed by Yasir, Tim Paine’s battling half-century ensured the tourists held on for a draw.
Former Pakistan batsman Rameez Raja described Khawaja’s efforts as one of the best fourth-inning knocks he had seen in Asia and Sarfraz agreed.
“I cannot praise Usman Khawaja’s innings enough, he played an extraordinary innings,” he added. “He carried the entire team almost alone and he got great support from Travis Head. Some of the shots he played on the fifth day of a Test against out bowlers like the sweeps and reverse sweeps, it was very frustrating.
“We had done really well to get in a position to win but that is why Test cricket is so beautiful. A team can draw a match from a losing position. We tried our best but they played really well.”
