Yasir Shah, Pakistan's wily leg-spinning maestro, is eyeing to play a crucial role in his comeback Test series against Australia on the back of his stint with the Brisbane Heat last year in the Big Bash League (BBL).
He believes that the BBL stint will help him to pose plenty of headaches to some of the fresh faces in the Aussie line-up in the upcoming Test series, starting from October 7 in Dubai.
Shah told Cricbuzz on Friday (October 5) after a training session at the ICC Cricket Academy in Dubai, “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.”
The 32-year-old further added, “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.”
Meanwhile, the leg-spinner, who has not played Test cricket for over a year, is feeling refreshed at the moment and expected to make the most of the dry, dusty, spin-friendly pitches of the Emirates Nation, where he has taken 79 wickets in just 12 matches, against Australia.
He added, “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.”
However, Australia will be without their batting powerhouses –Steve Smith and David Warner, but Shah is not taking the opposition lightly, saying “Pakistan are really looking forward to the challenge.”
He signed off by saying, “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.”
(Input: Cricbuzz)
