Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
WORLD’S BEST LEG SPINNER WILL BOOST KENT’S PROMOTION BID
An excited Yasir Shah hopes he can help Kent’s push for promotion during his four-match Championship stint.
The 31-year-old from Pakistan only arrived in the UK early on Tuesday but the world’s top-ranked Test leg spinner is set to go straight into the side for second-placed Kent’s Specsavers County Championship Division 2 clash with Durham at the Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, today (Thursday).
Unbeaten Kent are seeking to make it five wins from six while Shah is also available for the trips to third-placed Worcestershire and leaders Nottinghamshire before returning to Kent to take on Northamptonshire at The County Ground, Beckenham, on July 3- 6.
He said: “This is my first time playing at Kent and first time in a county.
“My friends told me county cricket here is difficult but I will try my best to perform well here. I am so excited for that. I want to help Kent get promotion to the first division.”
Shah claimed 10 wickets as Pakistan beat England at Lord’s last July and believes that experience will stand him in good stead at Kent.
He said: “I enjoyed Test cricket here against England, playing at Lord’s. I performed well.
“After that, I’m confident here with the Dukes ball. I was the best bowler of the series and happy.
“I want to try and put in a good performance in county cricket here, too.”
Yasir revealed he had a club stint in Middlesbrough seven years ago but found the conditions so testing that one of his deliveries bounced twice on the way through to the keeper.
Kent sit 13 points behind Notts, although, with a game in hand, while Durham are rooted to the foot of Division 2 with four losses and a draw from five games.
Shah doesn’t mind what surfaces he encounters in England, adding: “Skiddy or breaking pitches, both are good for me.
“I’ll try my best to take wickets and win matches. I want promotion for this county and my performances here (can hopefully help).”
Shah says he hopes his stay will improve him as a player, while he also hopes to leave a legacy with some of Kent’s young players.
He said: “I will share my experience with Kent players. I’m here to learn something from county cricket and I want to play here and perform well but I would like to work with the young players here, too.”
Yasir is the second fastest bowler of alltime to take 100 wickets in Test cricket, achieving the feat in just 17 matches and went top of the ICC Test bowler rankings after his performances last summer.
Kent head coach Matt Walker could not hide his delight at the signing and said: “Yasir is one of the finest spinners in the world and will add something different to our attack.
“Taking 20 wickets consistently in red-ball cricket will be key to our promotion chances and a bowler of Yasir’s calibre will help us achieve that and rotate our attack at a key period in the season.”
Yasir follows the capture of Adam Milne – set to arrive later this month after New Zealand’s ICC Champions Trophy campaign is over – and the early-season stint of South African Wayne Parnell at Kent this summer.
The 25-year-old took three wickets in Tuesday’s loss to England and 2-9 in the rain-hit game against Australia last Friday.
He is set to play a key part in the Spitfires’ Natwest T20 Blast campaign which begins on July 9.
‘Yasir is one of the finest spinners in the world and will add something different to our attack’