'Some of the best legspin bowling you'll see' - Arthur on Yasir
The legspinner ripped through New Zealand in the second Test with 14 wickets in the match, returning the second-best figures for Pakistan in a Test
ESPNcricinfo staff
28-Nov-2018
Yasir Shah leads his team off the park after ripping through New Zealand • AFP
Yasir Shah's match-winning haul of 14 for 184 - the second-best match figures in Tests for Pakistan - in the second Test against New Zealand in Dubai has sent coach Mickey Arthur into raptures.
The leg-spinner ripped through New Zealand in the first innings, claiming eight wickets in two sessions on day three, before picking another six in the second. Arthur reckoned that Yasir's performance was "some of the best leg-spin bowling you will ever see". Pakistan won the second match on the back of Yasir's bowling, and levelled the three-match series at 1-1 heading into the final Test.
"That first-innings - I think there was that spell for about half an hour that was some of the best legspin bowling you'll ever see - the drift, the pace, the spin, it was phenomenal. Fourteen wickets in a Test match is superb," Arthur said.
Congrats to my man @Shah64Y - what a terrific game you had & what a spell that was in the 1st innings, very special. Watching you spin a web bought me a lot of joy and a big smile buddy. Well done. Keep it up and stay patient my friend #spintowin
— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) November 28, 2018
Yasir, who returned to the Test side after recovering from an injury that saw him miss the one-off Ireland Test and the England tour, had a lukewarm series against Australia, finishing with eight wickets in the two Tests. However, Arthur felt that in the second Test in Abu Dhabi, in which Yasir took 3 for 45 in the second innings, was an indication that the legspinner was close to his best.
"He got some nice rhythm going in Abu Dhabi," Arthur said. "We knew he had a big performance inside of him. I think he'll get better and better from here."
Arthur also had words of encouragement for under-fire captain Sarfraz Ahmed, and drew attention to his wicketkeeping ability in addition to his leadership.
"I think Sarfraz is almost an unsung hero. Sarfraz has captained very well in this Test match and what goes unnoticed a lot of the time is his glovework - his wicketkeeping. There's no dropped catches, he doesn't miss stumpings. Whatever needs to be done gets done. He ticks all the boxes," Arthur said.